U.S. gay marriage case clears hurdle (Reuters)

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Reuters - A California gay marriage case that backers hope will reach the U.S. Supreme Court cleared a hurdle on Wednesday in a federal court hearing where the judge repeatedly asked the lawyer defending "traditional marriage" how gay unions harm those between men and women.

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California, a cultural trendsetter for the United States, banned same-sex marriages in a vote last November that ended gay unions only months after a state court legalized them.

The passage of the ban known as Proposition 8 spurred the current federal case, and challengers hope the U.S. Supreme Court eventually will rule that gay marriage must be allowed throughout the country.

Northern California Federal District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker denied a request to dismiss the case, saying a full trial scheduled for January would be needed to determine such issues as whether gays deserve special constitutional protection afforded racial minorities and whether the ban was a rational move to protect marriage or an act of hate.

He questioned both lawyers, especially Charles Cooper, who had argued for the quick dismissal of the entire case.

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U.S. gay marriage case clears hurdle - Yahoo! News



Judge Vaughn R. Walker asked again and again what harm same-sex marriages would do to marriages between men and women.