The California Supreme Court has
announced that an upcoming hearing on Proposition 8, the state's gay
marriage ban, will be televised.
According
to the San
Francisco Appeal, Lynn Holton, a spokesperson for the court,
said that intense public interest in the case has prompted the court
to approve a live broadcast of the hearing on the California Channel,
a public affairs network.
The hearing will likely provide
valuable insight into how the justices might rule on the matter.
The latest round in the ongoing fight
to overturn the 2008 voter-approved constitutional ban could be the
last.
The state Supreme Court has been asked
to rule on whether proponents of Proposition 8 have the legal
standing to defend it in court.
ProtectMarrriage.com, the socially
conservative group that put Proposition 8 on the ballot, last year
stepped in to appeal a federal judge's ruling declaring the law
unconstitutional after state officials refused to defend the law in
court.
At issue is whether the group has the
legal right to represent the people of California in the lawsuit.
If the high court decides proponents do
not have the legal standing to intervene, then the federal 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 the state.
The justices have 90 days to decide on
the issue of standing after the scheduled hearing.