Jeffrey Zarrillo

Ted Olson argues against Proposition 8 during gay marriage trial's closing arguments. ??We conclude this trial, your honor, where we began,? Ted Olson, who is representing two gay couples in the first federal trial to consider the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban, began. ?This case is about marriage and equality,? he continued. ?The fundamental constitutional right to marry has been taken away from the plaintiffs and tens of thousands of similarly situated Californians.? Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker heard final arguments Wednesday in a San Francisco courtroom. Proposition 8's November 2008 approval struck a severe blow to the gay marriage movement, denying gay couples in the country's most populous state the right to marry just months after the state's highest court had legalized the institution. About 18,000 gay and lesbian couples married before voters narrowly reversed the ruling. The trial concluded after two-and-a-half week's worth of testimony in January, but Wa

Both sides in the legal battle over California's gay marriage ban filed final briefs Friday. Both sides in the legal battle over California's gay marriage ban filed final briefs Friday, signaling closing arguments are closer at hand in the high-profile trial considering the constitutionality of the measure, the 'San Francisco Chronicle' reported. In their filing, proponents of Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban narrowly approved by California voters in 2008, maintain that voters approved the measure because they believe allowing gay men and lesbians to marry would hurt children, an argument advanced by the campaign to approve Proposition 8. The measure trumped a state Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in California for a brief time. ?Californians voted for Proposition 8 because they thought it would strengthen the institution of marriage [and] ? because they thought it would benefit children,? lawyers for ProtectMarriage.com, the chief sponsor of the measure, said. Chie

Testimony ends in historic gay marriage trial; judge to hear closings after reviewing evidence. The first federal case to decide if the U.S. Constitution prevents states from stopping same-sex weddings came to an anti-climatic break Wednesday after a judge heard nearly 12 days of wide-ranging testimony on the meaning of marriage, the nature of sexual orientation, and the role of religion in shaping attitudes about both.

Plaintiffs' final witness endures 6 hours testifying on the nature of being gay. Plaintiffs lawyers in the gay marriage trial taking place in San Francisco wrapped up their case Friday. After the plaintiff's final witness endured more than 6 hours on the witness stand, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker told him, ?You win the long distance award.? University of California at Davis psychology professor Greg Herek gave a full day of testimony on the nature of being gay. Davis' UC bio states he is ?An internationally recognized authority on prejudice against lesbians and gay men, hate crimes and anti-gay violence, and AIDS-related stigma.? The trial is the first to challenge the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban in a federal courtroom. Specifically, Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban approved by California voters in 2008. Lawyers in favor of gay marriage have argued that proponents of Proposition 8 approved the measure out of animus towards gay men and lesbians. The defense

Backers of a gay marriage ban in California struck back at witnesses for the plaintiffs during day 3 of the gay marriage trial. Backers of a gay marriage ban in California struck back at witnesses for the plaintiffs during day three of the first federal case to challenge the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban. The trial began on Monday in San Francisco with the emotional testimony of a gay and a lesbian couple who have been denied the right to marry in California because of Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban approved by voters in 2008. Jeffrey Zarrillo said he loved Paul Katami ?probably more than I love myself.? And Sandra Stiers testified that she was a plaintiff in the case because she wanted to marry her partner of ten years, Chris Perry. On Wednesday, Letitia A. Peplau, a social psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, took the stand. Peplau's UCLA bio says her ?research focuses on topics at the intersection of gender, sexual orientation, and intimate relat

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two gay men and two lesbians challenging a California ban on same-sex marriage on Monday said their relationships had lasted for years but they felt like third-class citizens, leading them to launch the federal case that could set a national precedent.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two gay men and two lesbians challenging a California ban on same-sex marriage on Monday said their relationships had lasted for years but they felt like third-class citizens, leading them to launch the federal case that could set a national precedent.

The first federal case to challenge the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban began with emotional testimony in San Francisco Monday. The first federal case to challenge the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban began with emotional testimony in San Francisco Monday. Ted Olson, lawyer for the plaintiffs, a gay and a lesbian couple who have been denied the right to marry in California because of Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban approved by voters in 2008, described marriage as ?a basic civil right? in his opening statement. ?As the witnesses in this case will elaborate, marriage is central to life in America. It promotes mental, physical and emotional health and the economic strength and stability of those who enter into a marital union,? he said. ?Proposition 8 ended the dream of marriage, the most important relation in life, for the plaintiffs and hundreds of thousands of Californians.? ?Proponents of Proposition 8 have insisted that the persons they would foreclose from the in

Groundbreaking gay marriage trial gets going in San Francisco court; couples set to testify. The first federal trial to determine if the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from outlawing same-sex marriage gets under way Monday, and the two gay couples on whose behalf the case was brought will be among the first witnesses.