California Governor Jerry Brown has
accused Proposition 8 supporters of conducting a “witch hunt”
against U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who last year struck down
the gay marriage ban as unconstitutional, the AP reported.
Walker's ruling came after he presided
over a 13-day trail in San Francisco.
Last month – three months into his
retirement from the bench – Walker acknowledged that he's gay and
in a ten-year relationship with a physician, confirming for the first
time a San Francisco Chronicle report published in February.
Lawyers for Protect Marriage, the
coalition of socially conservative groups defending the law, have
asked for Walker's ruling to be vacated because he's in a long-term
relationship with a man.
“If at any time while this case was
pending before him, Chief Judge Walker and his partner determined
that they desired, or might desire, to marry, Chief Judge Walker
plainly had an interest that could be substantially affected by the
outcome of the proceeding,” lawyers wrote in a brief filed last
month.
Lawyers for Brown accused Prop 8
supporters of engaging in a thinly veiled “witch hunt” in papers
filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, and denied
Walker had any reason to recuse himself from the case.