Court Allows Prop. 8 Hearing To Be Broadcast
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- An upcoming appeals court hearing on the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban will be televised and streamed on the Internet live - including here on CBSSanFrancisco.com.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal announced late Wednesday that it had granted the cable television network C-Span permission to carry the Dec. 6 proceedings in San Francisco live.
Other stations and websites can also carry the feed live, making it possible for millions to see firsthand the two-hour hearing.
CBSSanFrancisco.com plans to pick up the C-Span feed and stream it live on the Internet for those who don't have TV access at the time of the hearing.
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
Yousef Robb with the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which opposes Proposition 8, applauded the court's decision to allow live coverage of the hearing.
Even supporters of Prop 8 are welcoming the coverage this time. Yes on 8 attorneys had opposed a move by Judge Vaughn Walker to allow cameras in his courtroom during the original trial in August.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, ruling that witnesses could be intimidated. Brian Brown, representing one of the largest donors to the Prop 8 campaign, the National Organization for Marriage, said the hearing at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was a totally different situation.
"Because it's only the lawyers, it's an entirely different issue than the fact that you have witnesses that could be harassed or intimidated by those that support same-sex marriage," he said.
Supporters of the voter-approved ban are appealing Walker's decision that struck down Proposition 8 as a violation of gay and lesbian Californians' civil rights.
The judges will also consider whether the sponsors of Prop 8 and Imperial County even have the legal standing to bring appeal.
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