A judge said he wants a federal lawsuit challenging California's same-sex marriage ban to go to trial on Jan. 11, proceedings that will showcase expert witnesses on topics ranging from parenting to the relative political influence of gays.
In setting the hastened timetable, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker called the case â┚¬Å”a matter of huge importance for the people of this stateâ┚¬Â and indicated he would not tolerate legal maneuvers that could delay its resolution.
Proposition 8, which passed in November with 52 percent of the vote, overruled a decision five months earlier by the California Supreme Court that briefly legalized same-sex unions in the state. The case is expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
