The Outrageous Order of Judge Vaughn Walker

The Outrageous Order of Judge Vaughn Walker

Judge Vaughn Walker, after ordering a trial which neither party requested, is now ordering only one side – the pro-marriage forces, to turn over confidential campaign communications.

This is outrageous. Prop 8 was not passed by the five or six men who form the Protect Marriage Committee. It was passed by the votes of millions of Californians. Confidential campaign communications cannot, by definition, be relevant to their personal motivations in voting for Prop 8.

This is judicial harassment, plain and simple. It means that millions of Californians who expressed opinions to the Prop 8 campaign may now be exposed to the tactics of intimidation that have taken place against donors. It means that campaign strategy may be judicially revealed a few months before 2010, the year gay-marriage advocates have pledged to repeal Prop 8.

This is not an even playing field. It is one-sided in the extreme. The private, confidential intentions of the proposers could not have had any influence on the voters – and so are irrelevant.

How much respect will gay-marriage advocates show to the ordinary civil rights of Americans who disagree with them? So far, the answer is: not much. Not much, that is, short of eschewing open espousals of violence, and pooh-poohing the level of violence that has already taken place.