San Francisco, Calif., Jan 11, 2010 / 12:56 pm
On Monday morning the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the YouTube broadcasts of the hearings on California’s Proposition 8, but not before one backer sought to withdraw from the trial. He cited concerns for his safety and the safety of his family, also noting past death threats in YouTube comments.
The high court’s stay expires on Wednesday. The court said it will allow “further consideration,” according to the Washington Post.
Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker last week ruled that the proceedings could be uploaded at regular intervals to YouTube, whose owner Google, Inc. was an opponent of Prop. 8. The voter-approved California proposition defined marriage as being between one man and one woman in Nov. 2008 by a margin of 52 to 48 percent.
Hak-Shing William Tam, one of the official proponent defenders-interveners in the Proposition 8 case, last Friday submitted a motion to the District Court to withdraw as a witness.