Both supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage are arriving in Washington because of two Supreme Court hearings this week on the controversial issue.
The District, however, didn’t greet visitors with beautiful spring cherry blossoms. Instead, Supreme Court watchers got here just in time for the first snow accumulation in two years.
Shivering and soggy at the base of the Supreme Court’s steps, they nonetheless queued up for tickets to hearings challenging Prop 8, a ballot initiative passed in California, and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law.
Several, mostly opponents of Prop 8 and DOMA, are still keeping vigil Monday night in a cold rain. Tents line the sidewalk along 1st Street.
Thousands are expected by Tuesday morning to advocate for their position on gay marriage. For proponents of marriage equality, banishing the Defense of Marriage Act would mean that couples legally married in states permitting same-sex marriage would receive a myriad of federal benefits now denied to them. They also hope that the Court will uphold a federal circuit court’s ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional.
Supporters of Prop 8 hope that it will be reinstated and DOMA remains intact, which would keep barriers to same-sex marriage high and establish legal precedent against it.
Whether the Court decides to apply the equal protection clause could determine the extent to which the cases are far-reaching in scope.
They face hurdles of “standing” in the Court. The cases are unusual in that both the state of California (in the case of Prop 8) and the Obama administration (in the case of DOMA) declined to defend the statutes. It may be unprecedented that members of the Congressional House–and not the Department of Justice–will attempt to defend a federal law at the Supreme Court.
The Court will most likely not hand down rulings on the cases until late June.
Let the watchful waiting begin. I am a strong supporter of marriage equality and fervently opposed Prop H8. I remember waiting for the judge to rule Prop 8 unconstitutional. It was a nail-biter. I really hope our supreme court will be on the right side of history and support equal rights and respect for all.
The atmosphere outside the court is both nervous and jubilant. At the moment, far more advocates for marriage equality are present. There seems to be a feeling that the time has come. The court may not rule in a straightforward way, however. There are ways to punt!
For on-the-ground updates, please come back to Cool Revolution and follow my media pals @johnzangas and @organizerx for live-tweeting and live-streaming!
I was planning on streaming it on CSpan while at work tomorrow. I will definitely check out your blog for updates!
OrganizerX will be livestreaming about 6:30 a.m. http://www.ustream.tv/rootsmedia
The Pella Report will also be live streaming: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thepellareport?utm_campaign=t.co&utm_source=11892393&utm_medium=social
@johnzangas will be live-tweeting before/after work.
All to be found here: dcmediagroup.info
We already have a backlog of interviews, photos and–surprises in store!