Historic Trump impeachment trial begins in US Senate

The historic impeachment trial of Donald Trump opened Thursday in the US Senate, as lawmakers took a solemn oath to be "impartial" in deciding whether to force the 45th US president from office.

In a hushed chamber, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, clad in a traditional black robe, raised his right hand as he was sworn in to preside over the trial. He then administered the oath to senators in turn, to convene the third court of impeachment in American history.

Roberts asked if they swore to deliver "impartial justice" according to the US Constitution, and 99 lawmakers -- one was absent -- responded in unison: "I do."

Earlier in the day in a deeply symbolic moment, the two articles of impeachment -- charging Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- were read out on the Senate floor.

The Senate Sergeant of Arms Michael Stenger issued a warning as proceedings got underway.

"Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye," Stenger said, commanding senators to "keep silent, on pain of imprisonment."

Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who will serve as lead prosecutor for the trial, read the charges accusing Trump of "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Trump has ridiculed the impeachment process for months, and he responded to the opening of the trial by once more branding it a "hoax."

"I think it should go very quickly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

"It's totally partisan," Trump said. "I've got to go through a hoax, a phony hoax put out by the Democrats so they can try and win an election."

The Democratic-controlled House, in an overwhelmingly partisan vote, impeached Trump on December 18 over his dealings with Ukraine and subsequent efforts to obstruct the investigation into the affair.

Impeachment rules require a two-thirds Senate majority to convict and remove a president, and Trump's acquittal is widely expected in the Republican-dominated Senate.

Justice Roberts, 64, was appointed to the nation's top court by president George W. Bush, and will preside over the duration of the trial, which is expected to last two weeks.

After the senators' swearing in, the Senate adjourned until 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Tuesday, when the prosecution begins laying out its case against the president.

One senator -- Republican James Inhofe -- was absent due to a family medical emergency but said he would be sworn in "with no delay" on Tuesday, when Trump's impeachment trial begins in earnest.

'Senate's time is at hand'
Trump is accused of abuse of power for withholding military aid to Ukraine and a White House meeting for the country's president in exchange for an investigation into his potential presidential election rival Democrat Joe Biden.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office concluded in a report released Thursday that the White House violated federal law by putting a hold on the congressionally-approved funds for Ukraine.

"Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," according to the GAO, a congressional watchdog.

The second article of impeachment relates to Trump's refusal to provide witnesses and documents to House impeachment investigators in defiance of congressional subpoenas.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been extremely critical of Trump's impeachment by the House and Democrats have accused him of planning to oversee a "sham" trial in the Senate.

McConnell has said he would coordinate the defense of Trump in the Senate with the White House.

"It was a transparently partisan performance from beginning to end," McConnell said of the House impeachment. "But it's not what this process will be going forward.

"The House's hour is over," the Republican senator from Kentucky said. "The Senate's time is at hand."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump had given the House no option.

"It is a sad day for America," Pelosi told reporters. "We were given no choice."

Trump's actions undermined national security, were a violation of his oath of office and "jeopardized the integrity of our elections," she said.

For weeks Pelosi held back on delivering the articles to the Senate as she pressured McConnell to agree to subpoena the witnesses and documents that the White House blocked from the probe.

McConnell has refused to commit, saying the issue will only be decided after the trial's opening arguments and questioning.

A Trump administration official told reporters they expect the trial to last no longer than two weeks, suggesting McConnell could use his 53-47 Republican majority to stifle calls for witnesses and quickly take the charges to a vote.

Aside from Schiff the prosecution team will include Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler; House Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries; Zoe Lofgren, a veteran of two previous impeachment investigations; and three others.

cl-mlm/ec

Agence France-Presse

Top US court upholds California foie gras ban

WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court upheld California's foie gras ban on Monday, ending a long legal battle between animal rights activists and defenders of the delicacy.

The highest US court rejected an appeal filed by foie gras producers against a law prohibiting the sale of products obtained from force-feeding geese or duck to enlarge their liver.

The law, passed in 2004 by California in the name of animal rights, carries a fine of $1,000.

It took effect in 2012, was suspended by the courts in 2015 -- but then upheld on appeal in 2017.

Producers of foie gras from Canada and New York, along with a California restaurateur, then appealed to the Supreme Court in defense of this delicacy they called "perhaps the most maligned (and misunderstood) food in the world."

They argued that a state could not ban a federally authorized product.

They had support from France, which called California's law "an assault on French (gastronomic and cultural) tradition."

The high court threw out the appeal with no explanation.

As such, California's law remains in effect.

"This victory for animals follows tireless efforts from animal rights activists to oppose the archaic foie gras industry," the animal rights group PETA said.

"Now that California can enforce this ban, PETA urges diners to blow the whistle on any restaurant that's caught serving this illegal and hideously produced substance," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement.

leo/mdl/oh

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Harvard admissions bias case can proceed to trial: U.S. judge

BOSTON - A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for a lawsuit accusing Harvard University of discriminating against Asian-American applicants to go to trial, a closely watched case that could influence the use of race in college admissions decisions.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston rejected dueling motions by Harvard and a nonprofit group suing the Ivy League university to rule in their favor ahead of a non-jury trial set to begin on Oct. 15.

The ruling came after the U.S. Justice Department, which has been investigating Harvard for potential civil rights violations over its affirmative action policy, in August threw its support behind the 2014 lawsuit by Students for Fair Admissions Inc (SFFA).

The group, headed by prominent anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, has alleged that Harvard's admissions process, which factors in race, significantly disadvantages Asian-Americans compared with other groups.

Burroughs wrote that rather than presenting her with undisputed facts and evidence that would allow her to rule without overseeing a trial, Harvard and SFFA had filed motions that were "essentially mirror images of one another."

"Whether SFFA may prove its intentional discrimination claim requires a close review of the conflicting expert testimony, the available documents, and the testimony of the admissions office employees in the context of a trial," Burroughs wrote.

Harvard in a statement said it does not discriminate against Asian-Americans and looked forward to defending itself at trial.

Blum declined to comment.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that universities may use affirmative action to help minority applicants get into college. Conservatives have said such programs can hurt whites as well as Asian-Americans.

In court papers, SFFA claimed an Asian-American male applicant with a 25 percent chance of admission would have a 35 percent chance if he were white, 75 percent chance if he were Hispanic and 95 percent chance if he were black.

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard has denied that it uses a quota system or has engaged in "racial balancing." It has criticized the lawsuit as an effort to attack the right of colleges to consider race as an admissions factor.

After President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office last year, the Justice Department began investigating whether Harvard's policies are discriminatory because they limit Asian-Americans' acceptance.

Yale University on Wednesday announced that the Justice Department was also investigating it over similar claims. The university denied discriminating against Asian-Americans.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

In #MeToo era, Ford lauded on left and right as honest and brave

WASHINGTON - Christine Blasey Ford began her testimony in front of a Senate committee by saying she was “terrified,” and at times she looked it.

But by the time she finished detailing her allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, Ford was being widely praised as credible and brave.

Before the Senate hearing on Thursday, Ford had never appeared on camera, and was only depicted in news media reports with a grainy photo lifted from the internet.

She emerged in the eyes of many American women as a compelling figure in the #MeToo movement that is usually associated less with the names of victims and more with a list of high-profile men accused of misconduct.

Thousands of conservatives took to social media to accuse Ford of lying to bring down Kavanaugh, who angrily and tearfully denied her accusations in a day of dramatic, high-stakes testimony from both the accused and the accuser.

While Republican senators depicted her testimony as part of a partisan attack orchestrated by Democrats, they -- and Kavanaugh -- were careful not to attack Ford personally.

And outside Congress, even many prominent conservatives were willing to praise Ford.

e"Dr. Ford comes across as a credible person who has suffered the serious emotional impact of a disturbing incident in her teens," said Alice Stewart, a conservative strategist who has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns. "This will boil down to the sincere credibility of someone with nothing to gain versus the sincere credibility of someone with everything to lose."

Right-wing commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted, "Ford seems kind. This doesn’t strike me as partisan." Fox News commentator Chris Wallace called Ford’s testimony “extremely credible" and a "disaster for the Republicans."

Moira Donegan, a writer and prominent voice in the #MeToo movement, said Ford struck a chord among American women.

“So many women around the country were watching it together in rooms and texting one another about what they were seeing, identifying with her,” said Donegan said.

Still, even many Republicans who believed Ford was honestly recounting what happened to her took the view that it was a case of mistaken identity, believing Kavanaugh's emotional testimony that was not there and did not attack her.

The Republican Party posted online videos of women supporting Kavanaugh throughout Ford’s testimony.

Ford, a 51-year-old psychology professor from California, began her appearance by asking for a cup of coffee, her jaw tight with nerves. Her voice cracked at times as she then gave an emotional account of the alleged assault in 1982.

When a male senator read Kavanaugh’s denial, Ford appeared to shudder. She appeared to be close to tears at times, but she was firm and dignified throughout.

A GoFundMe page to support Ford and pay for her security and legal expenses quickly doubled its fundraising total after it was mentioned during the hearing.

It had already raised the initial target of $150,000 before the hearing and that jumped about $250,000 on Thursday to over $412,000 -- from a total of 8,888 people with average donations of about $46.

RAINN, a group that provides a support hot line for victims of sexual assault and crimes, said it saw a 147 percent increase above the normal volume of people reaching out for help.

An analysis of social media sentiment conducted by the Ipsos polling firm using an artificial intelligence prototype found that positive sentiment directed toward Ford increased each time she spoke, said pollster Chris Jackson.

“People were responding to her very strongly,” Jackson said, although he also cautioned that it measured posts on Twitter and Facebook and was not a representation of total public sentiment.

It was Ford's telling the committee she now has two front doors at her home -- a decision she said she made because of the lasting trauma of the alleged assault -- that convinced Kathleen Pierman, 66, who watched the testimony at home.

"She didn't seem in it for gain,” said Pierman, who lives in the suburbs of Cleveland. She said she found Kavanaugh more convincing than she expected, but said confirming him would be a "huge mistake" because "no one will trust the Supreme Court."

Three political scientists who specialize in voting behavior and political psychology told Reuters they expected Ford’s testimony to galvanize female Democratic voters to vote in November. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Kavanaugh tearfully denies sexual assault allegation

WASHINGTON - Fighting to salvage his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh angrily and tearfully denied on Thursday a university professor's accusation that he sexually assaulted her 36 years ago after she told a dramatic US Senate hearing she was "100 percent certain" he did it.

Christine Blasey Ford, her voice sometimes cracking with emotion, appeared in public for the first time to detail her allegation against Kavanaugh, a conservative federal appeals court judge chosen by President Donald Trump for a lifetime job on the top U.S. court. Ford told the committee she feared Kavanaugh would rape and accidentally kill her during the alleged assault when both were high school students in Maryland.

Kavanaugh testified after Ford finished her appearance, and they were never in the hearing room together.

The clash pitted her word against his.

"I swear today, under oath, before the Senate and the nation, before my family and God, I am innocent of this charge," Kavanaugh told the Judiciary Committee.

Calling himself a victim of "grotesque and obvious character assassination," Kavanaugh, speaking passionately, said he "unequivocally and categorically" denied Ford's allegation.

"I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process," Kavanaugh added.

Kavanaugh at times choked back tears, especially when he mentioned that his daughter suggested they pray for Ford, when he spoke of his father and when he mentioned women friends who have rallied to support him.

The momentous hearing could determine whether Kavanaugh will be confirmed by the Senate after a pitched political battle between Trump's fellow Republicans and Democrats who oppose the nominee.

Kavanaugh sharply attacked Democratic senators, calling himself the victim of "a calculated and orchestrated political hit" fueled by anger on the left at Trump's 2016 election win. Kavanaugh tangled with Democratic senators, at one point repeatedly interrupting Senator Patrick Leahy.

Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, said over four hours of testimony that a drunken Kavanaugh attacked her and tried to remove her clothing at a gathering of teenagers when he was 17 years old and she was 15 in 1982.

The hearing, which has riveted Americans and intensified the political polarization in the United States, occurred against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.

"With what degree of certainty do you believe Brett Kavanaugh assaulted you?" Democratic Senator Richard Durbin asked Ford.

"One hundred percent," she replied, remaining firm and unruffled through hours of testimony even under questioning by a sex crimes prosecutor hired by the committee's Republicans.

Ford said "absolutely not" when Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein asked her if it could be a case of mistaken identity, as Kavanaugh has suggested.

Democrats lauded Ford's testimony as credible, brave and, in the words of Senator Cory Booker, "nothing short of heroic."

"I want to thank you for your courage. And I want to tell you I believe you. ... And I believe many Americans across the country believe you," Democratic Senator Kamala Harris said.

While some Republicans and Trump have called the allegations by Ford and the two other women part of a smear campaign, Ford told the committee she had no political motivation, adding, "I am an independent person and I am no pawn."

Ford was seated at a table in the packed hearing room flanked by her lawyers, facing a bank of senators. Cameras from news photographers clicked as she entered the room and took her seat, smiling nervously. Ford told the senators she was "terrified" to testify but felt it was her civic duty come forward.

"Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was very inebriated and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothing. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help," Ford said, adding that Kavanaugh and a friend of his, Mark Judge, were "drunkenly laughing during the attack."

Democratic senators sought to score political points during their five minutes apiece of questioning Ford. The panel's Republican senators, all men, did not question her, assigning that task to Rachel Mitchell, a sex crimes prosecutor.

While Mitchell sought to probe Ford's account including any gaps in her story, her questioning seemed disjointed. She took turns with the Democratic senators to ask questions in five minute segments, disrupting her flow.

The controversy has unfolded just weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which Democrats are trying to seize control of Congress from the Republicans. Kavanaugh's confirmation would cement conservative control of the high court as Trump moves to shift it and the broader federal judiciary to the right.

'VICIOUS AND FALSE'

Kavanaugh, sitting alone at the witness table, said he wanted to testify as soon as Ford's allegation first emerged last week and was not surprised that other allegations followed.

"In those 10 long days, as was predictable and as I predicted, my family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed by vicious and false additional accusations."

The delay in scheduling a hearing "has been horrible to me and my family, to the Supreme Court and to the country," Kavanaugh said.

Looking somber, Kavanaugh was accompanied by his wife as he entered the hearing room.

He accused the Democrats of "lying in wait," with the Ford allegations, only revealing them publicly after his original confirmation hearing was completed. He thanked Trump for his "steadfast support."

He was careful not to denounce Ford, noting that he wished her "no ill will." He said that he was not questioning that Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time, but that he had never assaulted her or anyone.

Supreme Court appointments must be confirmed by the Senate. The Republicans control the Senate by a narrow 51-49 margin. That means that a handful of moderate Republican senators who have not announced whether or not they support Kavanaugh could determine his fate.

One of them, Senator Lisa Murkowski, told Reuters: "I find Dr. Ford's testimony to be credible."

The committee could vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation on Friday, with a final Senate vote early next week.

Some Democrats have called on Kavanaugh to withdraw in light of the allegations. At the hearing, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham castigated Democratic senators, seeking to rally Republicans not to abandon the nominee.

"This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics," Graham said, adding that voting against Kavanaugh would legitimize the attacks on the nominee.

Ford said Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming during the assault, adding, "This was what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me."

Her strongest memory of the incident, Ford said, was the "uproarious laughter between the two (Kavanaugh and Judge) and their having fun at my expense." She said the laughter has haunted her ever since.

A White House official described Trump's reaction to Kavanaugh's dramatic defense as positive, saying the nominee significantly helped his case after Ford's testimony. "People are going to walk away from this thing feeling that there are two passionate, credible people talking," the official said.

"I think every Republican has a fair reason to vote for him and not a real fair reason not to vote for him," the official added.

Two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the 1980s.

Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself during a drunken dormitory party during the 1983-84 academic year when both attended Yale University.

Swetnick said she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others to get girls drunk at parties so they could be raped. She said Kavanaugh was present at a 1982 party where she was raped.

Trump, who has himself faced accusations of sexual misconduct, chose Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired effective in July.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Kavanaugh accuser wants FBI investigation before she will testify

* Trump stands by nominee: "I feel so badly for him"

* Accuser Ford facing death threats, attorney says

* Republican senator: Panel to vote next week with or without hearing

WASHINGTON - A woman who has accused President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, of sexual assault decades ago wants her allegations to be investigated by the FBI before she appears at a U.S. Senate hearing, her lawyers said on Tuesday.

The development further roiled a confirmation process that once seemed smooth for Kavanaugh, whose confirmation to the lifetime post could consolidate the conservative grip on the top U.S. court.

Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor in California, has accused Kavanaugh of attacking her and trying to remove her clothing while he was drunk at a suburban Maryland party in 1982 when they were both high school students, allegations Kavanaugh has called "completely false.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which is overseeing the nomination, had called a hearing for Monday to examine the matter, and the White House had said Kavanaugh was ready to testify.

In a letter to the committee's chairman, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, Ford's attorneys said an FBI investigation needed to come first.

"A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions," the lawyers wrote. A copy of the letter was posted on the committee's website. 


Grassley said there is no reason to delay Ford's testimony and an invitation for her to appear before the committee on Monday stands.

"Dr Ford's testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what Dr Ford tells the committee, so there is no reason for any further delay," Grassley said in a statement.

Democrats, already fiercely opposed to the nominee, have also been seeking an FBI investigation, a request that Republicans have rebuffed. Trump and other Republicans said they did not think the FBI needed to be involved.

A hearing would represent a potential make-or-break moment for the conservative federal appeals court judge's confirmation chances, as Trump pursues his goal of moving the federal judiciary to the right.

"The Supreme Court is one of the main reasons I got elected President. I hope Republican Voters, and others, are watching, and studying, the Democrats Playbook," Trump tweeted late on Tuesday.

Republicans control the Senate by only a narrow margin, meaning any defections within the party could sink the nomination and deal a major setback to Trump.

Earlier on Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the committee's Republicans, said the panel would vote on the nomination next week whether or not Ford testified. A vote in committee would be a precursor to action in the full Senate.

"If she does not want to come Monday, publicly or privately, we're going to move on and vote Wednesday," he told Fox News Channel.

TRUMP STANDS BY NOMINEE

In a statement on Monday, a representative for the Justice Department said the FBI had followed protocol forwarding information about the allegation to the White House.

"The FBI's role in such matters is to provide information for the use of the decision makers," the statement said.

Trump earlier on Tuesday stepped up his defense of Kavanaugh and expressed sympathy toward his nominee, who met with officials at the White House for a second straight day, although not with the president.

"I feel so badly for him that he's going through this, to be honest with you," Trump told a news conference. "This is not a man that deserves this."

"Hopefully the woman will come forward, state her case. He will state his case before representatives of the United States Senate. And then they will vote," Trump added.

Senator John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, appeared to cast doubt on Ford's allegations.

"We just don't know what happened 36 years ago and there are gaps in her memory. She doesn't know how she got there, when it was, and so that would logically be something where she would get questions," Cornyn told reporters.

Cornyn's fellow Republicans have generally avoided criticizing Ford, instead castigating Democrats for not revealing her allegations earlier.

The confirmation fight comes just weeks before the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which Democrats are seeking to take control of Congress from Trump's fellow Republicans, which would be a major blow to the president's agenda.

'HATE MAIL, HARASSMENT, DEATH THREATS'

Ford detailed her allegation in a letter sent in July to Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee's top Democrat. The letter's contents leaked last week and Ford identified herself in an interview with the Washington Post published on Sunday that included details about the alleged assault.

In a statement, Feinstein, said the committee should accede to Ford's wishes and postpone Monday's hearing.

"A proper investigation must be completed, witnesses interviewed, evidence reviewed and all sides spoken to. Only then should the chairman set a hearing date," she said in a statement.

Lisa Banks, an attorney for Ford, told CNN her client was dealing with "hate mail, harassment, death threats" and that her immediate focus was protecting herself and her family.

Democrats have objected to the proposed hearing format, with Feinstein arguing there should be more than just two witnesses, possibly to include people in whom Ford previously confided. The committee's Democrats said witnesses should include Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge, who Ford has said witnessed the alleged incident.

A lawyer representing Judge sent a letter to Grassley saying Judge did not want to speak publicly about the matter.

"In fact, I have no memory of this alleged incident. Brett Kavanaugh and I were friends in high school but I do not recall the party described in Dr Ford's letter. More to the point, I never saw Brett act in the manner Dr Ford describes," the letter quoted Judge as saying.

Judge is the author of a 1997 memoir titled "Wasted: Tales of a Gen X Drunk," which recounts his experiences as a teenage alcoholic.

One Democratic senator, Richard Blumenthal, said Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination.

"I believe Dr Ford. I believe the survivor here," Blumenthal said. "She has come forward courageously and bravely, knowing she would face a nightmare of possible and vicious scrutiny."

The showdown has echoes of current Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' contentious confirmation hearings in 1991 involving sexual harassment allegations lodged against him by a law professor named Anita Hill.

Thomas, the court's second black justice, was ultimately confirmed, but only after a nasty televised hearing in which Hill faced pointed questions from Republican senators and the nominee said he was the victim of "a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks." 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

California gay marriage ban set for Supreme Court

LOS ANGELES - A US appeals court upheld Tuesday its decision to strike down a California law banning gay marriage in the state, in the latest step in the dispute's expected path to the Supreme Court.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in February that an amendment to the California state constitution banning same-sex marriage violated principles of due process and equal protection under the law.

Supporters of a ban had asked the San Francisco-based federal court to re-hear the case "en banc" -- with 11 judges, as opposed to the three-judge panel which ruled in February.

But Tuesday's seven-page ruling concluded: "The petition for rehearing en banc is denied."

Gay marriage was briefly authorized in California in 2008, but later banned by a referendum on what was known as Proposition 8. It rewrote the state's constitution to restrict marriage to unions between a man and a woman.

In February, the three-judge appeals panel in San Francisco ruled by 2-1 that a lower court had properly declared the ban a violation of the US Constitution.

"Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California," the ruling said. "The constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort."

The February judgment was slammed by Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who said "unelected judges (had) cast aside the will of the people of California who voted to protect traditional marriage."

But California Attorney General Kamala Harris called the decision "a victory for fairness, a victory for equality and a victory for justice."

The decision did not give gay and lesbian couples the immediate right to wed, as the ban remains in force until the US Supreme Court rules on a likely final appeal.

source: interaksyon.com