Couples In Prop. 8 Case Want Trial Tapes Public
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Lawyers for two same-sex couples who sued to overturn California's gay marriage ban want a federal appeals court to make videotapes of the case's lower court trial public.
The lawyers filed a motion Friday arguing that the recordings should be treated like other public records.
They're asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a seal that has been in place since the 2009 trial.
The move comes in response to efforts by the ban's sponsors to persuade the 9th Circuit to order the trial's now-retired judge to return his personal copy of the proceedings.
Their legal team says former U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker acted improperly while recently giving talks on the history of cameras in courtrooms when he played a clip of one of their witnesses being cross-examined.
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