Prop 8 Ruling Could Harm Gay Rights

An expert on constitutional law at the University of Berkeley says yesterday’s ruling against California’s same-sex marriage ban could ultimately undermine broader gay rights objectives. Gordon Silverstein says the judge in the case took too hard a stand, one that will be easy for the Supreme Court to challenge: “This ruling, though, leaves the Supreme Court little wiggle room. Yes, they could of course agree with Vaughn, and strike down Prop 8—along the way fundamentally raising the barrier to any rules that might adversely affect homosexuals or same-sex couples. They could do that—but hard to believe they will.”