US NEWS/ GAY MARRIAGE TRIAL STARTS

The 1st US federal court case to determine whether states are allowed to ban same-sex marriages opened yesterday in San Francisco, California. Any ruling reached is expected to be challenged, possibly taking the case all the way to the US Supreme Court. A Supreme Court ruling would determine the fate of gay marriages nationwide, without the possibility of appeal. The suit, filed by 2 gay couples, challenges Proposition 8, a ban on gay marriage in the state of California. The law amended California's constitution to restrict marriage to a union between a man and a woman. Supporters of the challenge are comparing it to landmark cases which ended segregation in US schools and overturned a ban on interracial marriage. They say the Constitution enshrines the right to marry but, by limiting it to heterosexual couples, it discriminates against gay people. Backers of Proposition 8 say the federal case is the latest attempt to overturn what they say is the will of the people as expressed by the 52% who backed the amendment in a 2008 referendum. Chief US District Judge Vaughn Walker will have to decide whether the ban on same-sex marriage in California is constitutional.