Associate Dean Amar Comments on Supreme Court and Same-sex Marriage

Vikram Amar, Associate Dean and Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law, commented for the San Jose Mercury News on the U.S. Supreme Court's pending decision on whether to hear the case involving California's Proposition 8.  The same-sex marriage ban was passed by voters in 2008, but overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2010, setting the stage for a potential Supreme Court hearing.  During the November 2012 election, four states passed laws in favor of same-sex marriage, leading to speculation over whether the Justices would consider public sentiment in choosing whether to hear the Prop. 8 case.

"There is a lot of constitutional doctrine and tradition that takes account of trends in legal protections," Amar said. "But [the November 6] results would give fuel to the argument that the court could wait to see how many other states jump on board."

Vikram Amar, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law with the UC Davis School of Law, is a national authority in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for Justia.com, a leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law.

San Jose Mercury News

Primary Category

Tags