First Prop 8 Amicus Brief Raises Walker's Orientation

"If the allegation that Judge Walker is a homosexual is true, [then] he has a personal interest in the outcome of the trial" and should have recused himself, the brief states. And with that, the speculation over Walker's sexual orientation is now apparently for the first time part of the court record....

Legal Pad • Sep 18, 2010

Walker's Got Little Patience

Beyond the discovery arguments themselves, I can imagine a few meta-motivations fueling Walker's irritation. First, there is the delay: Walker wants the trial over, like, yesterday, but these discovery issues may put off closing arguments for a while. What Walker regards as a frivolous appeal to Spero's order doesn't help. Also, Walker has been trying to build a full record, the better to withsta...

Legal Pad • Mar 18, 2010

Prop 8 Foes Attack Expertise of 'Expert' Witnesses

According to the same-sex marriage side, Prop 8 supporters want to call Young as an expert on what universally constitutes marriage and why. But, anti-Prop 8 folks note, Young is an expert in ... Hinduism....

Legal Pad • Dec 18, 2009

No Cameras Allowed in Prop 8 Trial. Unless They Are.

Under local and circuit rules, television cameras aren't allowed into court, said Northern District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker during a final pretrial conference Wednesday. However, the Ninth Circuit conference passed a toothless resolution a couple years ago supporting the concept in civil bench trials, just like the Prop 8 case. Now, the circuit's governing council is mulling a pilot program to a...

Legal Pad • Dec 17, 2009

On Prop 8 Case, Judge Walker is Ready for His Closeup

The national Judicial Conference thinks cameras shouldn't be allowed in district court proceedings, and many circuits around the country -- including the Ninth -- have followed that line. Just last week, the Seventh Circuit chided a Peoria, Ill., jurist for allowing cameras into a civil proceeding there. So, if Walker is really serious, it appears he would need special permission from the Ninth C...

Legal Pad • Oct 6, 2009

Terry Stewart: Oh, Now You Want a Gay-Marriage Factual Record ...

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer let the city submit its factual record, but wound up deciding the case without using it. So when Walker made it clear earlier this month that he wanted a record -- on such things as whether sexual orientation can be changed or whether gay marriages destabilize straight ones -- it was a hallelujah moment for Stewart and her colleagues. "I'm not af...

Legal Pad • Jul 24, 2009