IN TWEET: ORAL ARGUMENTS IN THE PROP 8 CASE BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT ARE OVER. WE’VE GOT “ONE-STOP” LINKS TO THE BEST EXPERT ANALYSIS PLUS AUDIO OF THE PROCEEDINGS.
Today the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry, better known as the Prop. 8 case. It’s semi-pointless to try and second-guess the SCOTUS. Of course, that doesn’t stop the media from trying. Here’s "best of" analysis from those who heard or have since listened to the arguments made by lawyers on both sides of the case :
- CLICK HERE for analysis from the Huffington Post.
- CLICK HERE for analysis from Mother Jones.
- CLICK HERE for analysis from The Los Angeles Times.
- CLICK HERE for analysis from The Boston Globe.
- CLICK HERE for analysis from The Maddow Blog.
Of the two same-sex marriage cases being heard by the SCOTUS this week (the other, United States v. Windsor, is on the docket tomorrow), today’s was always the more murky of the pair. Court observers have noted the thorny issues of the case for weeks now.
Problem one, the case is specific to a voter approved initiative in one state yet a decision by the court could have implications for other states. That doesn’t exactly make the Justices giddy and would also explain a ruling that ends up being less decisive than marriage equality supporters might like. Second, and probably more troubling, is that the state involved (California) isn’t arguing the case. This puts it on shaky ground from a standing perspective and, as many observers noted today, that fact was not lost on the justices.
Problem one, the case is specific to a voter approved initiative in one state yet a decision by the court could have implications for other states. That doesn’t exactly make the Justices giddy and would also explain a ruling that ends up being less decisive than marriage equality supporters might like. Second, and probably more troubling, is that the state involved (California) isn’t arguing the case. This puts it on shaky ground from a standing perspective and, as many observers noted today, that fact was not lost on the justices.
- CLICK HERE for a look at the DOMA case from Slate.
- CLICK HERE for a look at the basics of both cases from New York Magazine.
- CLICK HERE for a look back at the Prop. 8 battle from The Washington Post.
- CLICK HERE for an excellent, plain English analysis of today’s oral arguments from SCOTUS Blog.
Though there is no live audio or video feed from the Supreme Court and no recording devices are allowed inside, the Court did release audio of today’s oral arguments as well as a written transcript. Even if you’re not a legal eagle, this is fascinating stuff and well worth a listen. The Court is expected to announce a decision on Hollingsworth v. Perry by June.
NOTE: RONTHINK is optimized for CHROME. In the event you are using a mobile device or browser that does not support the HTML5 audio player above, CLICK HERE for the official audio and PDF download links of the oral arguments from the SCOTUS website.
LISTEN: ORAL ARGUMENTS (HOLLINGSWORTH V. PERRY)
If you missed the opening segment of the Rachel Maddow Show yesterday, she had an excellent overview of the case. Particularly strong is her interview with Kenji Yoshino, one of the most savvy conlaw experts out there. Now that oral arguments in this case are complete and available, his commentary is especially interesting. Check out the video here.