American Foundation for Equal Rights

LA Times Editorial: The public and Prop. 8

In what could be the understatement of this young year, U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker called the constitutional challenge to Proposition 8 “a case that has sparked widespread interest.” Therefore, the jurist has concluded that the nonjury trial beginning today should be recorded by television cameras and disseminated on the Internet.

Obvious as it might seem, Walker’s belief that an important public trial should be widely accessible is considered heresy by many of his judicial brethren, especially those on the U.S. Supreme Court. They too should recognize that televised proceedings can be as important to civic understanding as C-SPAN’s coverage of Congress.

The constitutionality of Proposition 8′s ban on same-sex marriage might seem strictly a legal issue — and a dry, not terribly telegenic subject at that. But in weighing whether to strike down a law (or, in this case, a state constitutional amendment), courts sometimes take account of factual circumstances and expert testimony. Witnesses at this trial will include economists, psychologists and activists on both sides of the Proposition 8 campaign. We’ve expressed concern in the past that some of the testimony might degenerate into another nasty skirmish in the culture wars, ventilating myths such as the discredited idea that sexual orientation is a choice. But if the judge is to hear such testimony — along with, we hope, more pertinent arguments — so should members of the public, and not just those with physical access to the courtroom. In the age of YouTube, the ideal of public justice acquires an exponential importance.

Read the rest of the LA Times Editorial here.