Same Sex Marriage

Director of The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally Rob Reiner is confident the Supreme Court will rule in favor of same-sex marriage. "From a legal standpoint, there is no argument. How broadly the Supreme Court will rule, that we don't know,"  says Reiner. 

Jeffrey Toobin, author and legal commentator for CNN, Emily Bazelon of Slate, and NYU Law School professor Kenji Yoshino discuss the possible impact of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8.

"Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon weighs in on the gay marriage debate. "Gay people who want to marry have no desire to redefine marriage in any way," she says. "When women got the vote, they did not redefine voting."

Michael Sandel demonstrates that the ancient methods for deciding justice used by Aristotle reveal themselves in modern issues.

Sandel asks, "What is the purpose of marriage?" He also questions state involvement in personal affairs.

Judge Vaughn Walker, retired Chief U.S. District Judge who whose opinion rendered Proposition 8 unconstitutional, forecasts the future of gay marriage. 

Ted Olson, longtime conservative lawyer and a former Solicitor General of the United States under President George W. Bush, addresses his status among fellow Republicans now that he has taken on a role as a lead attorney in the case against California's Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom compares the issue of same-sex marriage to racial discrimination and chastises politicians who claim they support equality for all, yet do not support gay marriage.

"How can you argue separate is not equal and then argue that separate is equal, but only if you’re gay," says Newsom.

Rev. Peter Gomes draws from passages in the Bible to conclude that Jesus would accept gay marriage.

"Jesus approves of any institution that supports fidelity and loyalty while "recreating the kingdom of God between two individuals," Gomes concludes, and same-sex marriage falls within that category.

Possible GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee slams President Obama's decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that bans recognition of gay marriage. "I'm deeply disappointed," says Huckabee. "They are clearly out of sync with the public."

Judith Stacey refutes the assumption that children of homosexuals tend to become gay themselves.

Dr. Stacey reports that children of gays are less likely to be exclusively heterosexual -- exhibiting more gender-flexibility -- but are no more likely to be exclusively homosexual.

Lawyer and human rights advocate William Zabel predicts gay marriage will be granted legal protection in the same way as interracial marriage, but at a much quicker pace.

He says if U.S. voters are "ready for an African American president, they can be ready for same sex marriages."

Former United States Solicitor Generals Walter Dellinger and Paul Clement agree that framing-era documents provide no hints as to Constitutional issues around same-sex marriage.

Dellinger adds that the 14th Amendment fundamentally changed the authority of the federal government in the protection of individual rights.

Ted Turner says that while same sex marriage is not a personal priority, he believes "you can marry whoever you want to...as many times as you can afford."

However, Turner prioritizes nuclear non-proliferation, global warming, and population control over same sex marriage.