It’s my pleasure to welcome you all here today. My name is Dean Reuter, and I am from the Federalist Society in Washington D.C. Codellĭean Reuter, Director of Practice Groups, The Federalist SocietyĭEAN REUTER: Good afternoon, everyone. John Eastman, Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service and Director of The Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, Chapman University Law Schoolĭavid Codell, Founding Partner, Law Office of David C. Shannon Minter, Legal Director, The National Center for Lesbian Rights The Honorable Ken Starr, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society and the USC Annenberg Knight Program convened a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the upcoming state Supreme Court case and other legal issues, as well as the political prospects for same-sex marriage in California and around the nation. Now, the California Supreme Court is considering whether Proposition 22 violates the state constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ultimately vetoed the bill on the basis of Proposition 22. And in September 2005, the California Assembly became the first state legislature in the nation to deliberately approve same-sex marriages. Four years later, following the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts, San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a move that was quickly rebuked by the state Supreme Court. The fight began in earnest in 2000, when the state’s voters passed Proposition 22, which defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Religious Groups’ Official Positions on Same-Sex MarriageĬalifornia has been one of the most active battlegrounds in the same-sex marriage debate. Map: State Policies on Same-Sex Marriage () The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage DebateĪ Stable Majority: Most Americans Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Special Report: The Same-Sex Marriage DebateĪn Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate