The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on Proposition 8 begins. A new National Marriage Project poll reveals changing attitudes about marriage. A Pew Research poll shows that Muslims prefer their religion and politics to be integrated. The struggle for survival in the Obama White House.
California’s Prop 8 gets another day in court
A hearing of Perry v. Schwarzenegger – the lawsuit challenging California’s Proposition 8 – convenes this morning in San Francisco. California voters approved Prop 8, which bans same-sex couples from getting married, in November 2008. But its opponents filed a federal lawsuit over the constitutionality of the measure. This summer, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Prop 8 infringes on equal protection rights. That decision was stayed, pending an appeal by Prop 8’s sponsors. Today’s hearing before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will be decided by a three-judge panel. What are the issues and arguments this time around? Will gay marriage be legal again in California? Or is this just a pit stop on the way to the U.S. Supreme Court?
Guests:
Julie Small, KPCC's State Capital Reporter
Peter Renn, Staff Attorney, LAMBDA Legal
Edward Whelan, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter who is monitoring the Prop 8 hearing
When marriage disappears
As same-sex marriage advocates fight for the right to marry in California, heterosexuals in middle America appear less interested in the institution. This, according to the report “When Marriage Disappears: The Retreat from Marriage in Middle America” out today from the National Marriage Project. The findings indicate that divorce and marriage-free parenting are on the rise, especially among America's working class. The number of couples choosing to parent without being wed has tripled among those without a college education - to 58 percent of the U.S. population. Why is marriage more popular among the highly-educated? Why are others losing faith in legal unions? Is tying the knot no longer considered a necessary part of child rearing?
Guest:
Bradford Wilcox, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia; Editor of The State of our Unions 2010
The separation of mosque and state
According to a new study from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, at least three-quarters of Muslims in Egypt and Pakistan favor making Islamic codes the law of the land. That means they want adulterers stoned and thieves to have their hands cut off. While most Muslims have an unfavorable view of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, they overwhelmingly welcome Islamic influence over their countries’ politics. What does this mean for the struggle between traditional and modern values in the Middle East? What about the future of democracy in the Muslim world?
Guest:
Richard Wike, Associate Director, Pew Global Attitudes Project
The struggle for survival in the Obama White House
After the “shellacking” the Democrats took in the mid-term elections, the President is understandably weakened in his ability to direct policy and drive his vision for the country. In his new book "Revival," political reporter Richard Wolffe looks inside the White House at Obama’s inner-circle and the fight to maintain control in Washington. He explains how the administration has split into two sides: the Revivalists, who want a return to the “change” campaign spirit, and the Survivalists who see compromise with the Republicans as the only way forward.
Guest:
Richard Wolffe, political journalist and author of Revival: The Struggle for Survival in the Obama White House