LGBT POV

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) Dean Logan (pictured) just announced that his office will extend business hours at its Norwalk Headquarters, “to accommodate federal court orders to cease enforcement of Proposition 8, permitting same-sex couples to obtain a marriage license as of August 18 at 5:00 PM; the effective date of the Court’s order lifting the stay of execution on the court decision declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional.”

This from the county press release:

The RR/CC Headquarters in Norwalk, located at 12400 Imperial Highway in the City of Norwalk will remain open from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM for the purpose of issuing Marriage Licenses and to offer Civil Marriage ceremonies.  All other services will close at 5:00 PM and resume at 8:00 AM the following day.   RR/CC District offices, located throughout the County, will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Thursday, August 19, 2010 during regular business hours (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM).

To accommodate the anticipated increase in requests for civil marriage ceremonies, the RR/CC will expand the availability of ceremonies it offers at its various locations.   Starting August 19^th through August 27^th couples with a Marriage License may request a civil marriage ceremony without an appointment, on a first-come, first-served basis during regular business hours at all RR/CC locations.     After August 27^th civil marriage ceremonies will be offered by appointment only. No appointment is necessary to obtain a marriage license.

The public is encouraged to review the attached for more information about how to obtain a marriage license and specific details on locations and hours of operation.  For convenience, couples are also encouraged to complete the marriage license application online at www.lamarriage.lacounty.gov.  However, applications for same-sex couples cannot be accepted before 5:00 PM on August 18.

Marriage license fees are $90 for a public license and $85 for a confidential license; civil marriage ceremonies are offered for a $25 fee.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.lavote.net

At the Equality California gala Saturday night, EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors called political strategist Chad Griffin, board president of the American Foundation for Equal Rights,  a “hero” for bringing the historic successful federal constitutional challenge to Prop 8. On Aug. 4, District Court Judge Vaughn Walker declared Prop 8 unconstitutional but he subsequently imposed a six-day stay on his ruling – until Wednesday, Aug. 18 – to provide Prop 8 proponents time to file an appeal.  Walker’s decision to permanently enjoin enforcement of Prop 8 – and then grant a temporary stay created an incredible emotional roller-coaster Friday leaving many same sex couples who planned to marry in the lurch.

The Protect Marriage/Defendant-Interveners appeal is due Monday.

In his ruling, Judge Walker said he did not think the Prop 8 proponents had “standing” to bring an appeal in the 9^th Circuit, a position with which the plaintiffs’  attorneys agreed in their motion opposing an emergency stay filed Friday.

Attorney General Jerry Brown, an official government-defendant in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case, also filed a motion on Friday opposing a stay – the effect of which would prohibit same sex marriages from being legal in California while the lawsuit winds through the court system, presumably on its way to the US Supreme Court.  Brown’s filing reads in part:

“To the extent the decision of the Attorney General not to file an appeal has bearing on this Court’s decision of whether to grant a stay, however, the Attorney General will not be appealing the district court’s Order permanently enjoining the enforcement of Proposition 8.

For the foregoing reasons, the Attorney General respectfully requests that Appellant-Intervenors’ request for a stay pending appeal be denied.”

Over the weekend, a number of smart people discussed the appeals process, which Lambda Legal’s Jon Davidson laid out in great detail for LGBT POV last week. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Irvine School of Law, wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times which read in part:

“As Walker explained Thursday, the defenders of Proposition 8 are not likely to prevail because they lack standing; also, it is impossible to see what “irreparable injury” will occur if there is not a stay of the injunction and same-sex couples are allowed to marry pending resolution of the appeal.

The result of all this is likely to be that gays and lesbians will be able to marry beginning Wednesday, when Walker’s temporary stay expires. There then will be consideration of the case, over the next couple of years, by the 9th Circuit and ultimately by the Supreme Court.”

And the incomparable New York Times Frank Rich wrote in a Saturday column that weaves together the death of AIDS “angel” Judith Dunnington Peabody and the work of plaintiffs’ attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies:

“Make no mistake about it: The Proposition 8 trial, Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision and the subsequent reaction to it (as much a non-reaction as anything else) constitute a high point in America’s history-long struggle to live up to its democratic ideals.”

A reminder: when and if the stay is lifted, same sex couples can apply for a license online. Here’s an advisory to help you.

Rabbi Denise Eger said Judge Walker was playing the “have-it-both-ways” biblical King Solomon in his decision on Protect Marriage’s motion to stay his ruling halting enforcement of Prop 8 – both permanently lifting the stay and re-imposing a stay for another six days.

In his decision last week, Walker wrote that “Proposition 8 harms the people of California,” and that “[n]one of the factors the court weighs in considering a motion to stay favors granting a stay. Accordingly, proponents’ motion for a stay is DENIED.”

No wonder Freedom to Marry’s Evan Wolfson and others thought the stay was lifted. For 10 pages of his 11-page ruling, Judge Vaughn Walker talks about how the proponents of Prop 8 failed to satisfy any of the legal imperatives to warrant a stay.

So why did Walker throw in this temporary, six day, limited stay to give the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals the opportunity to consider all aspects of the issue?  These aspects include whether or not the defendant-interveners have standing to bring an appeal, since the 9th Circuit has stricter standards for “standing” than does the lower court. Walker already got called on the carpet by the US Supreme Court when he wanted to broadcast the Perry v Schwarzenegger trial: the high court said he over-stepped his bounds. So now he doesn’t want to anger the 9th Circuit or further annoy the nine Supremes?.

Intellectually, I get it. Temporary stay. No big deal. Unless, of course, it does turn out to be a big deal.

[This is Part Two of a series about yesteday's Federal Prop 8 stay ruling.  You can read Part one here.]

Waiting for Judge Walker to rule was excruciating. Some of us hadn’t slept and others, like me, had been up since 6:00am to clear the deck and make sure nothing interfered with covering “the Summer of Love, Part 2,” as West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Duran put it. He was being interviewed constantly – even as he checked his Blackberry – and he was good at it. Robin Tyler and Diane Olson were also interviewed a lot, telling straight reporters how their marriage of over two years – along with the other 18,000 legal same sex marriages – hadn’t brought down civilization just yet.

When news finally came out about the stay being lifted – everyone rejoiced. The excitement was soon deflated with additional news indicated Judge Walker imposed a six-day waiting period. Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami, plaintiffs in the Perry lawsuit, joined the news conference in West Hollywood.

So many of us are so excited at the prospect of having Judge Walker lift the stay of his ruling on Prop 8 and having the right for same sex couple to marry again in California. That decision will come down between 9:00am and noon today.

But we must not forget that the LGBT community often experiences a spike in hate crimes around times of great visibility – especially when something good goes our way.

This is no idle statistic or scary sign at a National Organization for Marriage rally. This is real. This morning I received a comment on a story I posted on July 19 about the 17 people murdered and 18 injured at an apparently gay-organized birthday party in the Mexican city of Torreon.

The poster simply identified as “kf” but the comment address was killfaggots@hmamail.com. It said:

“kf @ 2010-08-11 22:48

Hurrah, I hope the mexican mafia soon invades West Hollywood. Right now they are in Hemet attacking the Police station there. Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia”

Now clearly this “kill faggots” person is loony – perhaps a follower of “Reverend” Fred Phelps. But nonetheless, the comment is a stark reminder that we must still be alert and vigilant even as we hopefully celebrate the return of marriage equality in California because some people really do want us dead.

Most of us were so swept up in anticipation of, then excitement over District Court Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling last Wednesday, Aug. 4,  affirming the constitutional right of same sex couple to marry that we didn’t notice that court also posted videos and documents presented as part of the Prop 8 trial. All of this material – including the actual courtroom testimony (transcripts of which are available on the American Foundation for Equal Rights website – is now part of the record going before the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeal.

Among the videos, is the edited (35:31) deposition of William Tam, the Executive Director of the San Francisco-based Traditional Family Coalition and a Protect Marriage spokesperson in the Asian community. Tam was the Protect Marriage witness who wanted out of the case because he said he feared for the safety of himself and his family.

Tam’s fear of retaliation by Prop 8 opponents was also referenced by the US Supreme Court on to block broadcasting of the trial (here and here) something LGBT POV’s Mark Hefflinger expanded upon in his thorough piece looking at how the Prop 8 proponents use “victimization” as a PR weapon.

During the Tam deposition, conducted in San Francisco the morning of Dec. 1, 2009 by Ethan Dettmer, a partner of Ted Olson’s law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Tam admitted that he had spoken several times in public venues as well as conducted media interviews at the behest of Protect Marriage. On this edited tape, the he does not mention being afraid at any of public appearances, nor does he express fear about being a witness at trial.

This tape was played in court on Jan. 13, after which AFER issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s decision not to allow cameras in the court in which they discuss Tam’s deposition and release the letter Tam wrote which clearly shows animus toward gays (example: “If we lose, this will very likely happen……1. Same-Sex marriage will be a permanent law in California. One by one, other states would fall into Satan’s hand….”).

Additionally – the juxtaposition between what Dettmer reads into the record about Tam’s references to Satan and the way he was clearly coached to reply to expected question is just extraordinary.

The most striking portion of the deposition, which was shown at trial, is Tam acknowledging the aforementioned  letter he had written urging a vote for Prop 8 in which he says that same sex marriage will lead to legal prostitution and legal sex with children:

“This is put forth by the SF city government, which is under the rule of homosexuals. They lose no time in pushing the gay agenda – after legalizing same sex marriage they want to legalize prostitution. What will be next? On their agenda list is: legalizing having sex with children.”

Please click inside to read more from the transcript of Tam’s deposition:

Prop 8 Trial Fallout: How Gays Are Politically Bought and Sold

By David Link

Two prominent articles Sunday – one from the New York Times and one in Politico – get right to the core of the problem that minorities face in a democracy.  In the NY Times, Lou Cannon offers an interesting view  of how Perry v. Schwarzenegger could play out in the gubernatorial race in California. At Politico, Maggie Haberman reports on how the national GOP is avoiding gay marriage as it focuses on the economy as its primary theme.  In trying to attract independent voters, gay marriage and other social issues might be a distraction. Larry Sabato, from the University of Virginia sums it up: “”I don’t think that moderates and independents get very excited about this.”

What neither article discusses – or even mentions – is the question of whether gay marriage is a good thing or a bad thing; whether the constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment of the law should apply to same-sex couples or not; whether heterosexual marriage will be affected by same-sex marriage; or any other of those nit-picky little issues that gays keep harping on.

For writers whose focus is politics, that’s not too surprising.  But that is exactly what the equal protection clause exists to address.

Please click inside to read the rest of David Link’s essay.

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace notes on his blog that  that his Fox News Sunday guest Ted Olson said

“that while he is not “taking anything for granted,” he is “reasonably” confident that the Supreme Court will agree that any ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional.

Olson, known for his aversion to judicial activism, disagrees with claims that what Judge Vaughn Walker did in ruling Prop 8 unconstitutional was just that, an activist judge overruling the will of 7 million Californians.

“We do not put the Bill of Rights to a vote,” Olson said, “This is what judges are expected to do. It is not judicial activism. It is judicial responsibility in its classic sense.”

Prop 8 trial plaintiffs Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami, who live in the Los Angeles area, discussed Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling striking down Prop 8 as unconstitutional on KNBC’s NewsConference with Conan Nolan Sunday morning. Paul Katami also talked about the long “thoughtful” process they went through before deciding to join the lawsuit, sponsored by the American Foundation for Equal Rights. He said he was upset by “The Gathering Storm” commercial produced by the National Organization for Marriage and the couple asked a couple of friends – who include actors Wilson Cruz and Alec Mapa, to star in a video response, “Weathering the Storm.” Please click inside to see the two “Storm” videos.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video.

NOM’s “The Gathering Storm”:

Read More →

Just as I was noticing that I haven’t heard about any antigay hate crimes – which usually occur around a huge LGBT victory – the Los Angeles Times reports that an artwork featured at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles with two plastic grooms atop a wedding cake seemingly made of money, was vandalized last Tuesday. From The Times:

“The two guys were unfortunately torn off and thrown about the gallery along with some other embellishments,” says Eilen R. Stewart, the museum’s exhibitions and publicity coordinator. “Whether this was done by someone who had heard that the judge’s ruling was coming or someone who was just expressing their anger, we don’t know.”

She says that a large group of high school students were visiting that day, but the museum has ” no reason to think it was done by one of them instead of one of our other patrons.” There are no security tapes to review.”

The museum is shipping the work back to artist Susan Tibbles for repair, hoping to put it back on display before the show closes on Sept. 12. From The Times:

“I was surprised this happened,” says Tibbles. “It’s just a sweet little cake with a little message on it–well, a big message I think. For me the upsetting thing is thinking that it might be an 18-year old who did this. It makes you wonder what we are teaching our kids.”

For her part, Stewart has a more positive spin. “Yes, it was a negative action, but in a way it’s a compliment to Susan’s artwork that it inspired such emotion. How often do you put something on display that drives someone to action?”

SoCal viewers: Prop 8 trial plaintiffs Jeff Zarillo and Paul Katami will be on KNBC Channel 4’s “NewsConference LA” this morning at 9:00am. Lambda Legal’s Jon Davidson will also be on. Please note: I have an extensive Q & A with Davidson that I am posting later in the day.

Also Plaintiff’s attorney David Boies will be on “CBS: Face the Nation” and attorney Ted Olson will be on “Fox News Sunday.” CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS.

UPDATE: IN SOCAL – OLSON’S INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS WALLACE RERUNS AT 11:00am and 3:00pm on FOX NEWS CHANNEL.

Additionally – American Foundation for Equal Right’s Communication Director Yusef Robb is interviewed, and Sara Beth Brooks, Bruce Carroll, Chris Geidner, Rick Jacobs, Cathy Renna and I are on Phil Reese & Joe Mirabella’s online SaneSexSunday show at 10:00am. Find info on Facebook and here: iTunes: http://bit.ly/cJFuqG http://samesexsunday.podbean.com/

The legal team of  David Boies and Ted Olson (pictured here with American Foundation for Equal Rights’ Chad Griffin) filed their motion asking Judge Walker to lift his stay on allowing Prop 8 to be struck down as unconstitutional. Here is part of their argument, in which they cleverly quote from Protect Marriage witness David Blankenhorn:

“Whether Plaintiffs marry immediately or at a time of their choosing could not be less relevant; this Court’s ruling establishes that Proposition 8 is an unconstitutional barrier to the exercise of their constitutional right to marry, and that finding alone establishes the irreparable harm Plaintiffs would suffer if Proponents’ extraordinary request for relief were granted.

As citizens of a nation profoundly committed to the principle of equal rights, the public has a substantial interest in allowing Plaintiffs to engage in the fundamental right to marry to which they are entitled. “[A]ll citizens have a stake in upholding the Constitution” and have “concerns [that] are implicated when a constitutional right has been violated.” Preminger v. Principi, 422 F.3d 815, 826 (9th Cir. 2005). This Court’s judgment therefore advances the shared interest of all citizens in enforcing the Constitution’s guarantees and reinforces this “Nation’s basic commitment . . . to foster the dignity and well-being of all persons within its borders.” Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254, 264- 65 (1970). Suspending Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights at this point would, in the words of Proponents’ own witness, prevent this Nation from fulfilling the founding principle of “equal human dignity” and stop us from becoming “more American.” Doc #708 at 50 (quoting David Blankenhorn testimony and exhibits) (emphasis added).”

UPDATE:

Griffin said in a statement:

“The unconstitutionality of Proposition 8 has been proven beyond a doubt. Extending Prop. 8’s denial of fundamental constitutional rights represents a grave injustice. The time for the court’s ruling to go into effect is now. We welcome Governor Schwarzenegger’s and Attorney General Brown’s opposition to a stay after their thoughtful analysis of the evidence, the court’s ruling and the law.”

Meanwhile, LA District Attorney Steve Cooley, who is running against San Francisco DA Kamala Harris for Attorney General in November, issued this statement in response to current Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Jerry Brown’s motion opposing the stay:

“Barring a law that is unconstitutional on its face, the proper role of an Attorney General is to enforce and defend the will of the People as manifested through the initiative or legislative process. The will of the People should be respected and not overturned easily or lightly. Today’s decision by a federal judge overturning Proposition 8 should be appealed and tested at a higher level of our legal system. The California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 by a 6 to 1 vote and declared it to be constitutional. Likewise, if the voters had approved an initiative legalizing same-sex marriage and a federal judge had ruled against it, I would also support an appeal of that decision.”

UPDATE: Tobias Barrington Wolff, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, countered Cooley’s assertion:

“In his statement about the proposed stay of Judge Walker’s ruling, Steve Cooley, the Republican candidate for California AG, is misrepresenting the earlier holding of the California Supreme Court when he says that the court “upheld Proposition 8 by a 6 to 1 vote and declared it to be constitutional.”  In that first round of legal challenges to Proposition 8, the California Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Prop 8 under any provision of the U.S. Constitution.  It was asked to decide only one question — whether state law permits a ballot initiative to be used in putting the fundamental rights of a protected minority up for popular vote.  Appallingly, the California Supreme Court said that such a use of the ballot was no problem.  But that had nothing to do with any of the constitutional issues that Judge Walker ruled on this week.

Either Cooley does not understand the law or he is deliberately misleading people about its content.  Neither speaks particularly well of someone running to be the State’s chief law enforcement officer.

There are many reasons why electing San Francisco DA Kamala Harris to be the next Attorney General of California is a high priority.  Her long-standing support for marriage equality is one of those reasons.”

Equality California has started a petition urging Cooley and GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman not to defend Prop 8.

Meanwhile, Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, provided Prop8TrialTracker with an explanation of Judge Walker’s temporary stay.

Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Motion for Stay of Prop 8 Ruling

Lambda Legal’s Marriage Director Jenny Pizer was on PBS to discuss what happens next since Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional:

For all the tears and applause and cheers for the plaintiffs and the AFER team – this crowd in West Hollywood wanted to hear from Ted Olson and David Boies after Judge Walker ruled that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. And they wanted to talk to the crowd. One would not think it possible in an open park in West Hollywood – but at times you could almost hear a pin drop. Videos courtesy of Phillip Minton.

Ted Olson:

Please click inside for a “you-are-there” version of August 4, the day Prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional – and read reaction plus see videos of Chad Griffin and David Boies.

‘
I just got back from an amazing event in West Hollywood Park where an enthusiastic crowd delighted in having a victory and meeting the heroes of that victory: Chad Griffin, who founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights that hired the incredible legal team, conservative Republican attorney Ted Olson, progressive Democratic attorney David Boies, and the plaintiffs – Kris Perry and Sandy Stiers and Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami who shared their ordinary gay lives and love with the world. There to celebrate the joy of equality were West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, who acted as something of an emcee and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who Heilman introduced as being from WeHo’s “sister city.” Villaraigosa thrilled the crowd by commenting off the cuff, “Tonight, my friend, you and I are sisters.”

Before the event started, Olson and Boies did a round of live television interviews, including one with Rachel Maddow. In the crowd behind them were legal married couple Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, as well as a slew of young new activists.  I’ll have more from the WeHo front – and I hope to have more from East LA later. In the meantime, here’s the Olson/Boise interview with Rachel:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Reaction has been POURING in. Here’s a release from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the same governor who twice vetoed marriage equality bills.

Governor Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on Proposition 8 Ruling

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker issued a ruling invalidating Proposition 8:

“Judge Walker had the great responsibility of deciding whether Proposition 8 violates the Constitution of the United States.  He heard in-depth arguments from both sides on fundamental questions of due process, equal protection and freedom from discrimination. There are strong feelings on both sides of this issue, and I am glad that all viewpoints were respected throughout the proceedings. We should also recognize that there will continue to be different points of view in the wake of this decision.

“For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for all Californians to consider our history of leading the way to the future, and our growing reputation of treating all people and their relationships with equal respect and dignity.

“Today’s decision is by no means California’s first milestone, nor our last, on America’s road to equality and freedom for all people.”

Please click inside to read reaction from EQCA, the LA Gay and Lesbian Center and the Log Cabin Republicans.

Duncan Osborne at the Gay City News in NYC and Adam Bink at the Daily Kos have both posted articles about attorney Charles J. Cooper’s request to “stay” today’s marriage decision in California. Cooper is the lead attorney for the proponents of Prop 8 and the defendants in the Perry vs. Swartzenegger case.

ALSO – READ THE RULING HERE WHEN IT’S POSTED BETWEEN 1:00-3:00P.

From the American Foundation for Equal Rights:

UPDATE:  Livestream of the official plaintiffs press conference will be at www.equalrightsfoundation.org. Press conference to start within minutes of decision being issued. (Pictured: AFER’’s Chad Griffin with plaintiffs Paul Katami, Jeff Zarrillo, Kris Perry, and Sandy Stier outside the federal District Courthouse in San Francisco on June 16, 2010. Photo by Karen Ocamb)

The court has announced that the decision in the landmark Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial will be announced Wednesday, August 4 between 1 pm and 3 pm PT.  The American Foundation for Equal Rights – the organization that launched the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case and brought together attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies to argue it – will hold a news conference in San Francisco immediately after a decision is issued and will hold a public event later in the day in West Hollywood (Los Angeles).  Both events will include the plaintiffs, lead attorneys Ted Olson & David Boies and Foundation leadership.

WHAT:

WHO:

*Perry v. Schwarzenegger/Prop. 8 Trial Plaintiffs Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Paul Katami, Jeff Zarrillo

*Lead attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies

*American Foundation for Equal Rights Board President Chad Griffin

WHEN:

*San Francisco News Conference: Within minutes of the decision

*West Hollywood (Los Angeles) Public Event: 6pm Pacific (Tentative Time)

WHERE:

Please click inside for links to the closing arguments, transcripts, info about the plaintiffs, and news articles.

UPDATE FROM COURT: “The Perry order will be e-filed between 1 pm and 3 pm tomorrow. It will be available electronically to the public not only through PACER but also directly from the court’s website, www.cand.uscourts.gov, free of charge soon after it is e-filed.”

UPDATE: WEHO/LA Event Call Time Now Tentatively 6:00 PM

The court announced today that a decision in the landmark Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial will be announced Wednesday, August 4.  The American Foundation for Equal Rights — the organization that launched the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case and brought together attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies to argue it — will hold a news conference in San Francisco immediately after a decision is announced and will hold a public event later in the day in West Hollywood (Los Angeles).  Both events will include the plaintiffs, lead attorneys and Foundation leadership.

WHAT:

Official Plaintiffs Post-Decision Events/Immediate Reaction

WHO:

*Perry v. Schwarzenegger/Prop. 8 Trial Plaintiffs Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Paul Katami, Jeff Zarrillo

*Lead attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies

*American Foundation for Equal Rights Board President Chad Griffin

*Los Angeles Public Event: 6:00 PM             (Tentative Time Tentative)

WHERE:

*San Francisco News Conference:

*Los Angeles Public Event:

This just in from the US District Court:

On August 4, 2010, the court will issue its written order containing findings of fact and conclusions of law following the court trial held in January and June of this year. The order will be e-filed in the court’s Electronic Case Filing system, and will be immediately available thereafter through ECF and PACER. Visitwww.cand.uscourts.gov for details on registering for PACER. There will be no court proceeding associated with the publication of the order.

A small number of hard copies will also be made available for public review shortly after the order is e-filed in the following locations:

San Francisco Courthouse:  Clerk’s Office (16^th Floor) & Press Room (18^th Floor)

Oakland Courthouse:  Clerk’s Office

San Jose Courthouse:  Clerk’s Office

This from the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the group trying to overturn Prop 8:

The federal court announced today that it will release its decision in the American Foundation for Equal Right’s landmark case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, on Wednesday. Text “EQUAL” to 69866 to get a text message with the official decision on your mobile phone the moment the court releases its decision, or sign-up for an email alert at equalrightsfoundation.org. Join AFER on its Web site to watch a live press conference with our plaintiffs and co-counsels Ted Olson and David Boies following the release of the decision. As we receive news about the details of the release, AFER will update our Facebook and Twitter profiles, along with our Web site.

Here’s a pithy reminder guide.

Find out who’s doing what on the Day of Decision site.