via BBC News A California ban on gay marriages should be overturned by the US Supreme Court, the Obama administration says. In a legal brief filed ahead of arguments scheduled for late March, the justice department says the ban – known as Proposition 8 – is unconstitutional. Outlawing same-sex marriage while offering marriage-like rights under […]

A dramatic new chapter in the legal fight over Proposition 8 opens today, with debate over the purpose of marriage, the power of social convention and the rights of gay individuals televised live from federal court for the first time.

SAN FRANCISCO — The federal judge who overturned California’s same-sex marriage ban ruled Thursday that gay marriages can resume starting Aug. 18.