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09 Aug 2010 00:19

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Politics: Max Headroom: Ted Olson has all the answers on gay marriage


  • Ted Olson just gets itChris Wallace is having trouble keeping up with the former Solicitor General, whose handiwork in the suit ensured that it would pass muster. Chris Wallace throws talking points, and Olson just swats them away like they were softballs.

  • John Boehner’s fake tan Dude, did you seriously do the whole spray-on thang? Whether or not Boehner got a fake tan, the lighting during his conversation about birthright citizenship makes him look like he got on the air after a long night of drinking.
  • Olbermann’s new gameIt is a slightly sad time for Keith Olbermann, who won’t be featured on NBC’s “Football Night In America” anymore. But that’s OK; he has another game. The game? Making Sharron Angle look like a freaking idiot. LOL.

04 Aug 2010 23:44

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Tech: Scribd rides the Prop 8 decision train to major viral success

Prop 8 Ruling FINAL

  • Credit where credit is due. Legal documents aren’t nearly as exciting as videos, obviously, but that didn’t stop the Prop 8 decision from becoming Scribd’s most viral document ever – getting 100,000 views in 24 MINUTES. It currently rests at 280,000 views, which would be a pretty killer number for your average YouTube video. And Scribd took advantage of the extra traffic by loading the document with display ads. Need any more evidence that Scribd’s move to HTML5 was a really good idea? Here you go. source

04 Aug 2010 21:03

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Politics: Marriage ban overturned: Other key storylines in the Prop 8 case

04 Aug 2010 20:33

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Politics: Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision tightly-written, well-considered

  • Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.
  • Judge Vaughn R. Walker • In his decision on same-sex marriage. To put it simply: Prop 8 made gay people second-class citizens. No mincing words. Walker says that the law violated the plaintiffs’ due process and equal protection rights, which overall locks up the ruling tightly. Of course it’s going to get appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, but it’s worth noting two things: First, Walker, who is gay, was assigned the case randomly. And second, lest you think he’s an activist judge, he’s actually a right-leaning George W. Bush appointee. Bush, as you might remember, was a hard-left liberal. source

04 Aug 2010 20:19

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17 Jun 2010 10:00

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U.S.: Prop. 8 trial protip: You probably need to present evidence

  • At the end of the day, ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I don’t have to present any evidence,’ with all respect to Mr. Cooper, doesn’t cut it.
  • Lawyer Ted Olson • Arguing during the Proposition 8 trial yesterday against defense lawyer Charles Cooper, who used the phrase “you don’t have to have evidence” to prove that gay marriage is illegal. Now – we could be wrong here, but something tells us that’s a pretty crappy argument to make in any courtroom, in any case. The judge, by the way, was pretty tough with his questioning – on both sides of the coin. source

16 Jun 2010 11:15

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U.S.: The Prop. 8 trial hits the closing arguments. What’s next?

  • A final decision will be coming in a few weeks. A lot of people are watching California’s gay marriage trial, and it’s one that should have a lot of fireworks. In the closing arguments, Judge Vaughn Walker is looking to see if gay marriage threatens the institution of marriage, if being gay is a choice, and if California voters were justified in banning gay marriage. Today could change everything. source
 

22 Jan 2010 18:32

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U.S.: The plaintiffs in the Prop. 8 case just finished arguing their side

  • At the beginning of this trial we said we would prove three points: that marriage is a fundamental right; that gays and lesbians, and the children they are raising, are harmed from the prohibition of their being able to marry; and allowing them to marry will not harm anyone … we proved all of those points.
  • Lawyer David Boies • On finishing up his side of arguing the landmark Proposition 8 court case in a California federal court. Boies says that he and fellow lawyer Theodore Olson are “pleased to be finishing our case today.” Now the pro-Prop. 8 side goes up, and argues against the legalization of gay marriage. Anyone think this case is like our Scopes trial? Seems like it has that kind of intrigue to it. source

17 Jan 2010 10:36

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Politics: The Supreme Court’s blocking of Prop. 8 cameras: Unfair?

  • Everything about the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the broadcast (and the Proposition 8 camp’s request to black out the trial in the first place) betrays a deep ambivalence about the same humble American voter whose very rights the court purports to be defending.
  • Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick • Discussing the Supreme Court’s decision to ban cameras during the Proposition 8 gay marriage trial in California. Lithwick claims the trial itself is somewhat questionable, but the banning of cameras in the courtroom is beyond absurd and is completely disrespectful to the rights of the American public. She further explains: “As it explains in its order: ‘This case, too, involves issues subject to intense debate in our society’ and it ‘is therefore not a good one for a pilot program.’ So, um, we the people are only fit to watch low-profile, boring cases?” source

13 Jan 2010 22:10

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U.S.: Prop 8 trial: No cameras in the courtroom. Thanks, Supreme Court!

  • 5-4 the righties beat the lefties again at the High Court source