I got up this morning, turned on the computer, logged on to twitter, and my twitter feed was going crazy with tweets about marriage equality at the Supreme Court, Here are some of them.
And, from Freedom To Marry:
11:35am • Responding to Justice Kennedy's Questions
Reports from inside the Supreme Court state that Anthony Kennedy has questioned the historical role of marriage - that only men and women have been able to marry. The New York Times reported, "At just after 10:07, he said the definition of marriage “has been with us for millennia. It’s very difficult for the court to say, ‘Oh, we know better.’ ” The comment suggested that for Justice Kennedy the long history of marriage could be a key factor in how he decides."
It's important to keep in mind, however, that same-sex couples marrying does nothing to change the institution of marriage. Gay and lesbian people are simply asking for the same access to marriage as all other couples. Like U.S. District Court Judge Shelby from Utah said in December 2013, "Here, it is not the Constitution that has changed, but the knowledge of what it means to be gay or lesbian."
11:30am • Argument on Question 1 Wrapping Up, 11:30am
The New York Times reports from inside the courtroom that the arguments on Question 1 - whether same-sex couples have the freedom to marry - are wrapping up. The Times reports:
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, a member of the liberal bloc, forcefully questioned why states should be able to exclude gay people from marriage. “Marriage is open to vast numbers of people,” he said, adding that same-sex couples “have no possibility to participate in that fundamental liberty. And so we ask, ‘Why?’"
And, we have audio of the first part of the oral arguments.
And, the audio of the second part of the arguments is up.