The California Supreme Court will hear
arguments September 6 on whether proponents of Proposition 8,
California's gay marriage ban, have legal standing to defend it in
court, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In February, the U.S 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals asked the high court to intervene on the
question of standing.
After a federal judge in San Francisco
declared the law unconstitutional, proponents of the 2008
voter-approved ballot measure appealed the ruling.
But state officials refused to defend
the law in court, prompting ProtectMarriage.com, the socially
conservative group that put Proposition 8 on the ballot, to step in.
The three-judge appeals panel heard
oral arguments in the case in December, but the court said it “cannot
consider this important constitutional question” until it resolves
the issue of legal standing, and asked the high court to rule on the
matter.
The justices have 90 days to decide on
the issue of standing after the scheduled hearing.
If the high court decides proponents do
not have the legal standing to intervene, then the lower court's
order would likely become law, and the marriages of gay couples in
California would resume. Such a resolution would have limited effect
outside of the state.