Supporters of Proposition 8 have appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that will allow the first federal case to challenge the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban to be broadcast over the Internet, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Supporters 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, have submitted a last-minute application to the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to stay Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's Wednesday ruling after a federal appeals court rejected a similar request.

In their appeal filed with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Saturday, supporters argued that their client's right to a fair trial would be harmed if it was broadcast on YouTube, the video-sharing site owned by Google.

The trial “has the potential to become a media circus,” the appeal says. “The record is already replete with evidence showing that any publicizing of support for Prop. 8 has inevitably led to harassment, economic reprisal, threats, and even physical violence.”

Judge Walker, who is presiding over the trial that begins Monday and is expected to last about 3 weeks, ruled that portions of the trial would be made available on YouTube at the end of each day.

“This is a case which merits a very serious consideration for widespread distribution,” Walker said during Wednesday's hearing.

Walker is acting after a pilot program that would for the first time allow cameras in civil trials was approved by the governing body for federal courts in Western states.

Challengers to Proposition 8 have welcomed the broadcast. A coalition of media organizations, including network broadcasters, CNN and Court TV, have also argued in favor of allowing cameras in the courtroom.

“If there is a public benefit to public trials – and there is – then there is also a public benefit to complete access to public trials,” lawyers representing the media group said in a filing.

Justice Kennedy has the authority to act on his own or the option of sharing the issue with his colleagues, the Supreme Court said. However, Kennedy had not acted on the application as of Sunday afternoon.

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 system, including a suit brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is campaigning for the Senate seat vacated by the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

The case is expected to eventually reach the Supreme Court.