Calif. Papers Weigh in
on Oral Arguments

California's top newspapers all seem to agree -- whether it's right or wrong, the California supreme court seems prepared to uphold Prop. 8.

From the Los Angeles Times : "The California Supreme Court appeared ready today to uphold Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that banned gay marriage, but also seemed likely to decide -- perhaps unanimously -- that the marriages of same-sex couples who wed before the election would remain valid."

From the Sacramento Bee : "Chief Justice Ron George noted that the California constitution has been properly amended hundreds of times, much more frequently than the U.S. constitution. He raised the possibility that the change gay-marriage proponents oppose is simply the result of California's system, which gives the people the right to amend the constitution through the initiative process. But the court also cast a skeptical eye on the argument made by supporters of the ban that the nearly 19,000 marriages that were performed between June and the passage of Proposition 8 should not be valid or recognized."

From the San Francisco Chronicle: "The California Supreme Court, which last year declared the right of gays and lesbians to marry, appeared ready today to uphold the voters' decision to overrule the court and restore the state's ban on same-sex marriage. 'There have been initiatives that have taken away rights from minorities by majority vote' and have been upheld, said Chief Justice Ronald George. 'Isn't that the system we have to live with?'"

From the Oakland Tribune: "Those urging the California Supreme Court to invalidate Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage seemed to have had a tough row to hoe Thursday, peppered by justices' questions on balancing marriage rights with voters' rights to change the state constitution. After three hours of arguments, it seemed as though the seven justices leaned against voiding the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed last year, but their stance on Proposition 8's constitutionality was less clear."