Judge Orders Recording Of Prop. 8 Trial Released
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered that a video of last year's trial on Proposition 8 be unsealed and made available to the public.
However, U.S. District Judge James Ware stayed his order until Sept. 30 to give the sponsors of Proposition 8, who oppose video's release, a chance to appeal his ruling.
Ware wrote in his ruling that the video is now part of the official record of the trial and that there is a common-law right of public access to trials.
"The court concludes that no compelling reasons exist for continued sealing of the digital recording of the trial," Ware wrote.
Proposition 8, an initiative passed by California voters in 2008, bans same-sex marriage in the state.
In last year's trial, now-retired U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker found that the measure violated the federal constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples. The sponsors of Proposition 8 and their committee, Protect Marriage, are now appealing that ruling.
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