pCalifornia's gay-marriage ban is again being tested as a high-profile federal-court case opened in the state Monday and immediately drew a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court./ppThe high court temporarily blocked the Internet broadcast of the trial, the first serious challenge in federal court to a state law against same-sex marriage./ppThe main issue in the case, being heard in U.S. District Court, is whether a 2008 voter initiative dubbed Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by creating a law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. Defenders of Proposition 8 say it validly defined marriage in traditional terms by restricting marriage to people who could have children naturally./ppWhatever the outcome in Chief Judge Vaughn Walker's courtroom, the case will likely be appealed, eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court. Five states currently permit same-sex marriage, either by statute or under their state constitutions.
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