Same Sex Marriage goes to US Supreme Court

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Same-sex marriage: A potential Supreme Court blockbuster

By Bill Mears and Michael Pearson, CNN
Tue March 26, 2013

Washington (CNN) -- Supreme Court justices settled in Tuesday to hear arguments in the first of two cases that could reshape nothing less than how American defines marriage. Outside the historic court chambers, activists on both sides of the issue rallied.

"We are not asking for anything more than our neighbors, friends and family, but certainly expect no less," said Todd Bluntworth, who spoke to same-sex marriage supporters outside the Supreme Court Tuesday with his husband and their two children.

Nearby, same-sex marriage opponents marched, arguing for the Supreme Court to stay out of the debate and echoing a Tuesday statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "Marriage is rooted in the natural reality that men and women are different."

One demonstrator carried a sign, "Kids do best with a mom & dad."

Tuesday's hearing involves California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage.

Voters approved the proposal 52% to 48% in November 2008, less than six months after the state Supreme Court ruled that marriage is a fundamental right that must be extended to same-sex couples.

The overriding legal question is whether the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law prevents states from defining marriage as California has.

Two of the key plaintiffs are Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, a Burbank, California, couple who want to marry but can't because of Proposition 8. They say the state is discriminating against them for their sexuality.

"Stigma is stigma. And discrimination is discrimination," Katami told CNN.

"I think that any time there's discrimination in the country, it needs to be addressed and it needs to be taken care of," he said. "And that's why we feel that anytime in our history when there's been racial discrimination or sexual discrimination of orientation, or in particular marriage at this point, that we always bend toward the arch of equality."

If the court decides in their favor, it would mark a historic shift in how the law treats marriage, striking down laws across the country banning same-sex marriage and matching an apparent cultural shift toward acceptance of same-sex couples.

Or the court could leave the current patchwork of state laws in place, choosing to let state legislatures and state courts sort it all out.

Forty-one states now forbid same-sex marriage, although nine of them allow civil partnerships. Nine other states allow same-sex marriage, and about 120,000 same-sex couples have gotten married, according to estimates.

California's bans seem to run counter to polls that show rising support overall for same-sex marriage. A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday found that 53% of Americans now support same-sex marriage, up from 40% in 2007.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is arguing against Proposition 8, said voter-approved marriage bans "are simply unconstitutional."

The Supreme Court has ruled more than a dozen times that marriage is a fundamental right, "and as it relates to a fundamental right, the court will hold that under the highest level of scrutiny," Harris said.

On Wednesday, justices will hear arguments in a separate case involving the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which, like the California law, defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

The law bars the federal government from recognizing state-sanctioned same-sex marriages. It prevents legally married gay and lesbian couples from getting federal benefits and privileges, like tax breaks and survivor benefits, that are extended to opposite-sex married couples.

No immediate decision

The court is unlikely to announce its decision until June.

But people could get a sense of which way the decision will go by listening to the questions posed by Justice Anthony Kennedy, said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

The court's four liberal justices are likely to vote to overrule Proposition 8, he said. Four conservatives are likely to vote to keep it.

"The most likely person to give the fifth vote is Anthony Kennedy," who previously authored two important gay rights decisions, Toobin said.

Partisans speak out

Same-sex marriage supporters say it's time for the court to take a stand that puts all Americans on the same footing.

"This is about our equality," Katami said. "This is about our freedom and our liberty. So we are not trying to topple marriage. We are not trying to redefine marriage. What we are trying to say is that equality is the backbone of our country."

But supporters of Proposition 8 and DOMA say the Supreme Court should stay out of the issue and let voters decide what they want.

"Our most fundamental right in this country is the right to vote and the right to participate in the political process," said Austin Nimocks of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian advocacy group.

"We don't need the Supreme Court to take that right away from Americans of good faith on both sides of this issue and impose its judicial solution," Nimocks said. "We need to leave this debate to the democratic process, which is working."

Political positions

The Obama administration has formally expressed support for same-sex marriage in California, weighing in on the case in a brief last month. Obama, whose views on the issue have evolved over his political career to full support, said he would vote to strike down the state's law if he sat on the court.

In what some have labeled the "nine-state strategy," the Justice Department argument is expected to center on the idea that civil union and domestic partnership laws may themselves be unconstitutional and that those states should go all the way and grant same-sex couples full marriage rights.

Other prominent politicians have expressed timely opinions in recent weeks, indicating the importance of the matter in the social context of 21st century American politics.

Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and possible 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, recorded a video for a gay rights group indicating her support.

Republicans have described cracks appearing in their party's long-held opposition to same-sex marriage.

"There is no putting this genie back in the bottle. It is undeniable. The shift is here and we're not going back." Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ana Navarro said Sunday.

One prominent Republican, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, endorsed that shift this month, two years after his son revealed to him that he is gay.

The case being heard Tuesday is Hollingsworth v. Perry (12-144), dealing with Proposition 8. And coming up Wednesday is U.S. v. Windsor (12-307), which deals with the DOMA issue.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/26/politics/ ... index.html

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I have created a poll about this issue. What do you think the US Supreme Court will do? Click this link to cast your vote and/or view the results: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5570

The poll ends on April 10.

You can read the full transcripts of the arguments or listen to a 1 hour and 20 minute audio of the arguments at: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/03/ ... index.html

[Alex]

I'm definitely having popcorn ready!