Clergy who refuse to sanction same-sex marriages would be protected under a bill sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk by the state Senate. Sen. Mark Leno's bill, approved 22-11 Wednesday, could become necessary if a federal appeals court upholds a judge's ruling this month striking down Proposition 8, the state's voter-approved gay marriage ban.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is granting an extended stay of Judge Vaughn Walker's order.  That means same-sex marriages will not go on Wednesday evening as the judge had ordered. The plaintiffs in the case who oppose Proposition 8 tell KRON 4's Dan Kerman they will not appeal the Ninth Circuit's decision.

California voters had sound reasons and were not motivated by anti-gay bias when they outlawed same-sex unions in 2008, sponsors of the ban said Monday while urging a federal appeals court to stop gay weddings from resuming, lawyers contended in legal filings.

The federal judge who struck down California's gay-marriage ban said Thursday that same-sex weddings can resume next week unless an appeals court intervenes before then. The news raised hopes among gay couples that they soon will be able to tie the knot after years of agonizing delays.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown filed motions Friday calling for resumption of same-sex weddings in the state. The officials filed the motions after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker previously overturned Proposition 8, California's voter-approved gay marriage ban.

Supporters of California's gay marriage ban filed an appeal Thursday of a federal judge's ruling striking down the voter-approved law. The appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was expected, as lawyers on both sides of the legal battle repeatedly vowed to carry the fight to a higher court if they lost.

A federal judge overturned California's gay-marriage ban Wednesday in a landmark case that could eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to confront the question of whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to wed. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker made his ruling in a lawsuit filed by two gay couples who claimed the voter-approved ban violated their civil rights.

The landmark federal trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban resumed Wednesday, with a lawyer arguing that supporters of the ban were trying to deprive same-sex couples of a relationship the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized as a fundamental right. Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker set aside five hours to hear closing arguments in the closely watched case.

As testimony begins in the trial over the future of Proposition 8's ban on Same-Sex Marriage in California, KRON 4 wants to know what you think both about marriage rights and the issues raised during the trial.  Leave your comments here and they may be featured on KRON 4 TV and KRON4.com coverage of the events.

A film distribution company has bought the rights to a documentary about the Mormon church's role in a California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage. Filmmaker Reed Cowan says "8: The Mormon Proposition" will hit theaters this spring and a DVD will follow. Cowan says he sold the film's North American distribution rights to Red Flag Releasing.