Prop. 8 likely headed to Supreme Court
By Maura Dolan, Carol J. Williams and Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times
A day after Proposition 8 was thrown out in court, both sides in California’s debate over gay marriage are focusing on the next fight in a battle that is likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Opponents of gay marriage immediately vowed to appeal a federal judge’s ruling saying same-sex unions were legal in California. [Updated at 10:30 a.m.: Gay-marriage opponents formally filed the appeal Thursday morning.]
The next step will come Friday, when U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker holds a new hearing. The judge stayed his order allowing gay marriage at least until then. And it remains unclear if –and when — gay marriages will begin again in the state.
Lawyers on both sides expect the ruling to be appealed and ultimately to reach the Supreme Court during the next few years.