On Trial in a Federal Courtroom: The Tradition of Marriage
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Gays and lesbians can raise children, but in most states they can't be married. California's ban on same-sex marriage is on trial in a case that may end up in the US Supreme Court. We get a progress report on the issues being raised in a San Francisco courtroom and the impact of the public proceedings on same-sex parents and their children. Also, an update on disaster relief in Haiti.
Banner image: Actress Emmy Rossum attends a march following the California Supreme Court's ruling to uphold Proposition 8, on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Main Topic
On Trial in a Federal Courtroom: The Tradition of Marriage ()
The US Supreme Court says the trial on Proposition 8, California's same-sex marriage ban cannot be televised. Is that a clue as to how the case might finally be decided? Is same-sex marriage banned because of ancient tradition or because of discrimination against gays and lesbians? What's it like for gay and lesbian parents, and their children, to have their legitimacy challenged in such a public forum? Are the courts being asked to rule on broad social issues rather than questions of Constitutional law?
Guests:
- Margaret Talbot: Staff Writer, New Yorker
- Barry Friedman: Vice Dean, New York University Law School
- William Duncan: Director, Marriage Law Foundation
- Jennifer Chrisler: Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Links:
- Talbot's article on whether it's too soon to proposition the Supreme Court on Prop 8
- Newsweek on Perry v Schwarzenegger, same-sex marriage trial
- Friedman's 'The Will of the People: How Public Opinion Has Influenced the Supreme Court and Shaped the Meaning of the Constitution'
- Marriage Law Foundation's amicus brief defending Prop 8 in California Supreme Court
- Brown v Board of Education, Supreme Court on
- Scopes v State of Tennessee (Scopes Monkey Trial), PBS on
Reporter's Notebook
Aid Starts to Pour into Haiti after Devastating Earthquake ()
Rescue teams, doctors and food supplies are landing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and more is on the way from all over the world. The next 24 hours are being called "critical" to reducing the human catastrophe. A Chinese rescue team landed at the airport, but it took six hours to unload a plane because the airport lacked the needed equipment. We get an update on relief and rescue efforts.
Guests:
- Louis Belanger: Media Officer, Oxfam International
- Daniel Fitzgerald: Associate Professor of Medicine, Cornell University's Weill Medical College
- Russell Honore: former Head, Task Force Katrina
Links:
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