fbpx

Blog Topic

Relationships & Families > Marriage & Relationships

Our Voices blog

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 11

Today was one of the most dramatic days of the trial, with startling admissions by the proponents’ two expert witnesses: Professor Kenneth Miller, testifying about the political power of gay people, and David Blankenhorn, testifying about the purposes of marriage. The morning began with the conclusion of David Boies’s cross-examination of Professor Miller. Boies confronted […]

More

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 10

Today was another exciting day as the Prop 8 trial heads into the home stretch. The plaintiffs finished their case today, and defendants got started with their first witness, Professor Kenneth Miller. The plaintiffs’ attorneys closed their case by playing excerpts from two simulcasts that were broadcast to gatherings of evangelical voters during the Prop […]

More

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 9

After two weeks of powerful and often emotional evidence, the plaintiffs presented their last live witness today. On Monday, after playing some videos of deposition testimony, the plaintiffs will rest their case, and then the defendants will have their turn. Typically, at the end of all witness testimony, the attorneys present closing arguments. This morning […]

More

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 8

Today was another blockbuster day in the Perry trial, with more razor sharp testimony from Professor Gary Segura, followed by disturbing testimony by one of the official proponents of Prop 8, Dr. Hak-Shing William (“Bill”) Tam. Yesterday closed with expert testimony from Professor Segura, an authority on political representation. The plaintiffs called Professor Segura to […]

More

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 4

The morning opened with Judge Walker’s announcement that he is withdrawing the Perry case from the pilot broadcasting program.  Judge Walker’s decision followed the Supreme Court’s order preventing any broadcast of the Perry trial even to other federal courtrooms, which has been roundly and rightly criticized as an unwarranted intrusion on lower courts.  Video will […]

More

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 3

As other bloggers and news outlets have reported, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a final order today preventing the trial from being broadcast. The 5-4 opinion was unsigned, meaning that its authorship was not attributed to any one justice.  The court largely ducked the substantive issue of whether federal trials should be more accessible to a broader […]

More

Blog

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter on Perry v Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 2

The Perry plaintiffs had another great day in court. Professor Nancy Cott wrapped up her powerful testimony, which made three crucial points. First, Professor Cott provided a detailed historical account of how marriage restrictions based on race, ethnicity, and immigration status have been used “punitively” – to stigmatize and demean disfavored groups – in the […]

More