On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, the California Supreme Court will hear oral argument in in re Marriage Cases. There, the court will consider a state constitutional challenge to California's marriage statutes, which define marriage as the legal union of a man and a woman. The case, of course, originated in San Francisco's decision in 2004 to begin issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. The California Supreme Court enjoined San Francisco from issuing these licenses, and the upcoming oral argument is the culmination of years of litigation following this injunction. For more information, please see http://www.lambdalegal.org/our-work/in-court/cases/in-re-marriage-cases.html.

On March 4th, the American Constitution Society, Feminist Forum and Lambda Legal will host an all-day viewing of the oral arguments in this case. We will be broadcasting the arguments in the student lounge from 9am to 12pm. Then, a lunchtime panel consisting of Professors Joslin, Amar, Brownstein, and Ikemoto will discuss the arguments on both sides and will share their reflections on the case.