Dear Marriage Supporter,
WOW, what a great day! That's the best way to summarize my reaction to yesterday's California Supreme Court hearing on Prop 8. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, president of the Ruth Institute—a project of the NOM Education Fund, was on site for the hearing and gave us this report:
I don't think the hearing could have gone better for supporters of Prop 8. None of the justices appeared to buy into Ted Olsen's argument that an initiative's proponents cannot intervene to defend said initiative, effectively arguing that it must go undefended if the governor or state's attorney general refuses to do so. If they did accept Olsen's thesis then the law would confer on the governor and attorney general a right to nullify an initiative, a right never contemplated by the California Constitution.
As Andy Pugno, General Counsel of the Proposition 8 Legal Defense Fund, said, the hearing "was nothing less than fantastic!"
The justices are expected to give their final decision within 90 days, and while no one can predict for certain what they will decide, we are very optimistic. Even the mainstream news is reporting that the Supreme Court "appeared ready to give sponsors of Proposition 8 the legal right to defend the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage."
If you missed the hearing, you can watch it here.
Kudos to the Prop 8 legal team for all their great work! And thanks to each of you who have already given to support this effort. Truly, this victory could not have happened without you. With your support, NOM has made major financial contributions to the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund - but there is a long way yet to go before this case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.
Help us continue protecting marriage and the rights of California voters as this litigation is now poised to head back to the Ninth Circuit federal appeals court. Please continue to support this all important effort by sharing this email with your friends, and please consider making a donation today of $10, $50 or $500 to ensure that NOM can continue to defend marriage as one man and one woman.
Thank you.
Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage
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