The possibility of having the first
federal case to challenge the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban
televised will be considered in California next week, the San
Francisco Chronicle reported.
Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker
will explore the possibility of allowing cameras in the courtroom
during a January 6 hearing. Walker is acting after a pilot program
that would for the first time allow cameras in civil trials was
approved last week by the governing body for federal courts in
Western states.
The trial of Proposition 8, the
voter-approved measure that placed a gay marriage ban in the
California Constitution and trumped a state Supreme Court ruling that
granted gay couples the right to marry, is set to begin on January 11
before Judge Walker in San Francisco.
Opponents of the gay marriage ban say
they welcome the opportunity to have the trial – which is expected
to last a month – broadcast. Supporter of Proposition 8, however,
have protested the idea, saying it posed a potential threat to trial
participants.
Kristin Perry v Arnold
Schwarzenegger is the first such case to be heard in a federal
courtroom, but three more are wending their way through the courts,
including a
suit brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley,
who is campaigning for the Senate seat vacated by the late Senator
Ted Kennedy.