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Same-sex marriage supporters gathered outside the San Francisco federal courthouse Wednesday as U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker prepared for the Proposition 8 case closing arguments.
The California Supreme Court ruled that the state's same-sex marriage ban violated the state Constitution just two years ago. In November of 2008, Proposition 8 amended the state Constitution reinstating the ban.
The state high court later ruled, 6-1, that the measure was valid, keeping the ban of same-sex marriages in place. However, the marriages of 18,000 same-sex couples who wed prior to Prop 8 being passed by voters.
One female couple and one male couple filed a federal suit in San Francisco because Proposition 8 violates guarantees of the federal Constitution.
Wednesday morning, two plaintiffs in the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger case restated the reasons they originally went to court.
"For Kris and I, this case for us is about how we, as Americans, just want to be treated equally by our government," said Sandy Stier, talking about Kris Perry, her partner of more than 10 years.
Jeff Zarrillo, who came with his partner, Paul Katami, to court, said: "All we're asking the court to do is make sure we're protected under our Constitution like everyone is supposed to be."
However, attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund, supporters of Prop 8's ban, argued that allowing marriage of same-sex couples would be an "extreme interpretation of the Constitution."
"The focus for it is whether we still live in a democracy," said Austin R. Nimocks, the group's senior legal counsel, "whether a single judge is going to trump the voices of over 7 million Californians who heard both sides of the debate and cast their votes accordingly."
Stay updated with live tweets from the closing arguments on the SheWired homepage.
