The Prosecution Rests

Perry v. Schwarzenegger resumed this morning in San Francisco, with the prosecution resting its case. Over two weeks of testimony, the prosecution attempted to prove that Prop. 8 was driven by irrational prejudice against gays and lesbians. Their case included nine days of exhaustive testimony on the historical and political marginalization of gays and lesbians. The defense begins its case today and began calling witnesses to the stand in order to argue that gays and lesbians are not a politically powerless group entitled to the strict scrutiny of the courts (Los Angeles Times).

Margaret Talbot, who has been providing excellent coverage for the New Yorker, notes that the defense only intends to call two witnesses to the stand, whereas the prosecution questioned nearly a dozen. Apparently, some of the pro-Prop. 8 side's arguments sound like something you would be more likely to hear in a Queer Theory seminar.