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Prop 8 Trial Week 2 Weekend Updates

Tomorrow, the plaintiffs will rest after showing some videos (possibly more of the defense’s experts’ depositions that hurt their case?), and then it will be the defense’s turn to call witnesses. Only two of their experts are left, so it’s possible we might get through all the testimony by the end of week three!

Here’s a roundup of coverage from the weekend to get us ready for what’s to come! There are two worthwhile videos at the bottom!

» Auto Straddle: Prop 8 Gay Marriage Trial Explained

Need to catch up on what you’ve missed so far? Auto Straddle has a great 3-part series to answer a lot of your questions!

Part 1: Lez Legal Eagle Answers Your Lawfully Ignorant Questions
Part 2: Equal Protection & Why They Do Those Things They Do
Part 3: How Do We Win This Thing?

» Wall Street Journal: Defense Set to Press Gay-Marriage Case

The Wall Street Journal takes a look back and a look forward to this coming week.

» P8TT: Determining Scrutiny: All Those Crazy Legal Tests

Brian Leubitz takes a look at the levels of scrutiny and how the court determines them.

» P8TT: Pound Prop 8: Tracking the Trial Tweets

Laura Kanter deconstructs the tweets of Protect Marriage and the Alliance Defense Fund, sharing my concern for the way they are trying to twist the truths of the trial to meet their own needs.

» P8TT: On Monkeys and Marriage

Reflecting on Charles Darwin thoughts on marriage, Jennifer Alesio compares and contrasts Perry v. Schwarzenegger with the Scopes Monkey Trial.

» P8TT: Courageous Conversations

Julia Rosen reminds us how important it is to use the trial as a starting point for conversations with our friends and neighbors about LGBT issues.

» P8TT: Rules of (same-sex) Engagement

Reflecting on her very new engagement (Congrats!), Caitlin Maloney notices how much “tradition” still very much plays a part in same-sex marriage/proposals/engagement, despite how nontraditional some might think it.

» P8TT: It’s About Rights and the Constitution

Robert Cruickshank responds to a conservative columnist in the San Francisco Gate by pointing out that rights are really at stake based on Constitutional arguments.

» Michael’s Gay Thought: Safely Closeted and Openly Apathetic

Michael notes that because of the invisible nature of LGBT identities, the gay civil rights movement lacks a lot of the same urgency as past civil rights movements.

» Los Angeles Times: Prop. 8 foes tell court why they see measure as unconstitutional

A review of the first two weeks of the trial.

» ABC News: Film Focuses on Mormon Role in Gay Marriage Ban

This story is about a new film debuting at Sundance called The Mormon Proposition about the Mormon Church’s role as a driving force in the passage of Proposition 8.  (Incidentally, Protect Marriage and ADF have distanced themselves from the Mormon Church by not mentioning them in any of their spin of the trial, despite these revelations that have come out in the evidence and testimony.)

» Slacktivist: Bullies

Blogger “slacktivist” takes a look at how important this trial is to the ADF, offering, “The Alliance Defense Fund is fighting for its life.”

» Columbia Law School Magazine: Marriage for Same-Sex Couples: A Conversation

Four political scholars have a candid discussion via email exchange about same-sex marriage and the Prop 8 trial.

» Prop 8 on Trial: Animus takes center stage

Berkeley Law student Sarah Ruby takes a look at the testimony of Hak-Shing William Tam and its importance in demonstrating the animus behind Proposition 8.

» Gay Vantage: John McCain Reacts to Wife’s NOH8 Photo

Despite the support of his wife and daughter of marriage equality, John McCain still opposes it!

» VIDEO: MSNBC interviews Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley of the NOH8 Campaign and Cindy McCain.

» VIDEO: Popular on Twitter this weekend, this video shows former Ex-Gay Ministry leaders apologizing.