Ware said he would rule in the near future. He told lawyers seeking release of the videos that he would have to weigh the need for public access against the effect on "the integrity of the judicial process" when one judge promises secrecy and a second judge overrides him.

Ware was handed the dispute by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is reviewing the constitutionality of Prop. 8. Sponsors of the initiative have argued separately that Walker should have disqualified himself because he is a gay man with a longtime partner, a claim that Ware rejected and is now before the appeals court.