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Judge Says Prop 8 Trial Can Be 'Televised' on YouTube
Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist (more photos here)
Judge Vaughn R. Walker split the baby today and decided to let the trial against Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, be videotaped by the court and uploaded to YouTube later in the day, according to the LA Times.
Plaintiffs advocated for televising the historic trial, but proponents of Prop 8 said they were concerned with witnesses feeling intimated by millions of viewers. The cameras will not be broadcast quality, but owned and under control of the courts. The delay could be hours and Walker could pull taping at any time.
Walker's decision is expected to be endorsed by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and when it does, it "will become the first federal trial in nine Western states to be videotaped for public distribution," noted the Times. The trial begins Monday and is expected to last a two to three weeks.
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