Page 28 - Proposition 8 News Today

Get a live report from our justice correspondent pete williams, whos been inside that courtroom. basically, across the wires weve been learning it was mainly chief justice john roberts talking to ted olson, who was trying to have proposition 8, in working with david boies, struck down, saying the meaning of marriage in same-sex couples, chief justice roberts was asking, are they trying to redefine the word marriage? pete williams is inside the courtroom. he joins us now. lets talk about what cam...

Denying homosexuals benefits? >> your honor, i cannot. >> widely seen as the swing vote on the court, justice anthony kennedy expressed concern about prop 8s impact on families. >> there are some 40,000 children in california, according to the red brief, that live with same-sex parents and they want their parents to have full recognition and full status. the voice of those children is important in this case, dont you think? >> that being said, the justices also sounded reluctant about making a s...

Each side is arguing, the people who are supporters of proposition 8, this ban on gay marriage, they basically say, listen, in the united states, this institution of marriage has always been defined as between one man and one woman. they also say that proposition 8 is a voter-approved measure that was approved by voters in 2008 in california. the opponents, obviously, of prop 8, they think differently. they say that the constitution does guarantee same-sex couples the right to marry, and they al...

On to a friend of the court brief. who lays out this conservative rationale. if you believe it is the building block of communities in neighborhoods and society, then you want every child in a household with two parents who love each other to be able to say my parents are married. it doesnt matter if theyre a same-sex couple or whether theyre a man and woman, you should want every family to be wrapped up in that revered institution of marriage if they so choose. >> in retrospect, it is interesti...

Big day for amanda knox. in just a few hours the italian supreme court could announce whether she will go back to prison for the murder of her roommate. its a crime shes already been convicted and acquitted of. also this half hour, you wouldnt know it by all the snow, spring is here. with it comes flood season. there are a surprising number of people who die inside their own cars after driving into high water. this morning well show you what to do if you become stuck in a flood situation. only...

But hes probably accurately describing where the party is. in that "washington post"/abc news poll that you showed, a majority of republicans are still against same-sex marriage. now, having -- and, senator portman is the only republican senator, sitting senator, who has come out in favor of same-sex marriage, sitting in the senate right now. that being said, a majority of republicans 18 to 45, 51% or 52%, favor marriage equality. you have more than 100 top republicans, not elected officials, bu...

One of the justices being watched closely today is chief justice john roberts. he showed, well, showed he had sympathy for gay marriage critics in california for the critics this time. listen. >> so its just about -- its just about the label in this case? >> the label is -- >> same-sex couples have every other right. its just about the label. >> the label, marriage, means something. even our opponents. >> sure, if you tell a child that somebody has to be their friend, i suppose you can force the...

Tomorrow, the supreme court will begin hearing arguments in two of the biggest civil rights cases to reach its docket in years, if not in decades. up for consideration, doma, the so-called defense of marriage act, and californias proposition 8. as the court prepares for an historic moment, more public figures are weighing in. we can now add senator claire mccaskill of missouri and senator mark warner of virginia to the growing number of current and former lawmakers throwing their support behind ...

Proposition 8. what are the stakes? which justices are key? will public opinion play a role? weve got a jam packed hour. openly gay congressman mark pocan, christie todd whitman, jim, ravens super bowl champ brend brendan ayandabejo. and the outrage over the robocalls from the nra in newtown. plus an italian court orders a retrial for american amanda knox. we get a live report and update from rome after this. so... [ gasps ]

The court takes up same-sex marriage in less than two days. justices will hear arguments for the first case tuesday involving californias proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. the second case centers on the defense of marriage act which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. as the supreme court prepares to tackle that issue, same-sex couples across the country are watching. cnns joe johns has a story of a couple, one couple in the d.c. area, who are hoping history will be made. >> rep...