Protesters Stand Outside As Supreme Court Weighs Gay Marriage

The United States Supreme Court will hear two gay marriage cases, beginning on Tuesday, and will determine the constitutionality of California’s proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. As the nine judges rule inside the court, protestors have started showing up.

Proposition 8, a California law that ruled only marriages between a man and a woman will be recognized by the state, was ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The constitutionality of the ban on same-sex marriages will be heard by the Supreme Court as part of the Hollingsworth v. Perry case, reports Forbes.

Forbes notes that some of the key questions include the legal right to bring a suit, does Proposition 8 or DOMA actually hurt individuals, and the publication notes that the Supreme Court has thrown out cases involving environmentalists who have tried to block certain regulations. Another issue involving Proposition 8 involves the idea that the law denies rights given to an individual by the state, California, or if marriage is a constitutional right, reports Forbes.

The Supreme Court’s decisions on gay marriage could impact state law as well as the national legality of same-sex marriages. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider DOMA’s constitutionality, reports Chicago Tribune. DOMA states the legal definition of marriage is between a man and woman,

Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for opponents of Proposition 8, said, “Never before in our history has a major civil rights issue landed on the doorstep of the Supreme Court with this wave of public support,” reports Chicago Tribune. The newspaper notes that 30 states ban gay marriage and that same-sex marriage faces strong opposition from Republicans in Congress.

Numerous protestors have shown up in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday with signs for, and again, gay marriage. The Supreme Court will hear DOMA’s case on Wednesday and expect plenty of protestors to return to the steps of the Supreme Court.