Update: Obama disses marriage law as Justice defends it

(Washington) President Barack Obama insisted Monday he still wants to scrap what he calls a discriminatory federal marriage law, even as his administration angered gay rights activists by defending it in court.

The president said his administration’s stance in a California court case is not about defending traditional marriage, but is …

California Supreme Court appears likely to uphold gay marriage ban

The California Supreme Court today appeared inclined to uphold Proposition 8, but showed obvious reluctance to void thousands of same-sex marriages already in place when voters restored a ban on gay marriage last fall.

During three hours of arguments in San Francisco, the justices peppered lawyers opposing Proposition 8 with questions that suggested they do not believe they have the authority to trump the will of the voters.

At the same time, even justices who voted against striking down California’s previous ban on gay marriage indicated that Proposition 8 should not wipe out an estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place last year. Those couples mobilized around the state to obtain marriage licenses after the Supreme Court ruled last May that California’s prior ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.

“Is that really fair to people who depended on what this court said was the law?” Justice Ming Chin asked Ken Starr, the former Clinton impeachment prosecutor who argued that same-sex marriages shouldn’t be recognized under Proposition 8.

See California Supreme Court appears likely to uphold gay marriage ban

San Jose Mercury News – CA, USA

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/california-su…

Delaware high court reverses ruling granting shared custody to lesbian ex-partner

A lower court judge was wrong to grant a lesbian joint custody of her former partner’s adopted daughter, the Delaware Supreme Court has ruled.

In a unanimous decision handed down this week, the justices said the woman had no standing to petition for custody in Family Court because she was not the child’s legal parent. The court affirmed that under Delaware law, a person who is considered a “de facto” parent of a child does not have the same rights as a legal parent and is not entitled to custody.

Citing existing law, Justice Randy Holland wrote that a person who does not qualify as a legal parent has no standing to petition for custody of a child unless the child is dependent or neglected and a judge determines that he or she should not be placed in the custody of the legal parent.

See Delaware high court reverses ruling granting shared custody to lesbian ex-partner
The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)