Prop 8 Day 4: Morning Fascinates, Afternoon Cures Insomnia

Day four of the Prop 8 trial before Northern District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker started off pretty interesting. There was Walker cutting his losses on broadcasting the trial, informing the parties that he and Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski agreed to withdraw the case from the circuit’s new pilot TV program. But, Walker is going to keep a video recording for himself, thanks very much.

Cooper tried to get the cameras stopped (they're rolling, broadcast or no) and the past days' recordings erased. Walker refused: “Recording would be quite helpful to me in preparing findings of fact. It's not going to be for public broadcasting.”

“Very well,” Cooper shrugged.

Following the money, until the fun runs out, after the jump.

Then a San Francisco city economist talked about all the money local government loses by denying same sex marriage licenses. Nice, real world concrete stuff.

Then we entered social science methodology hell. Legal Pad doesn’t dispute the need for Yes on 8 to pick apart the plaintiffs’ experts, mind you. We were just hoping the inquisition wouldn’t take quite so long. Apparently Walker agreed, reminding one attorney that he was conducting a cross exam, not a depo. One of the only light moments came when Cooper & Kirk of counsel Howard Nielson Jr. was cycling through one of Dr. Ilan Meyer’s papers, asking him if he wrote different portions — but all in separate questions.

“I wrote the entire article,” Meyer finally said with some frustration, prompting some laughs.

“Then you are different from some of the professors I had,” Nielson said.

Like we said, scintillating stuff. But we’ll be back tomorrow morning with the Twitter! It should get better.

— Dan Levine
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Comments

[NOSTAWMIJ]

Thanks for enduring the snooze-fest! Your tweets and other writings are greatly appreciated by those of us affected but unable to be there in person.

[ask doctor online]

Hmm.. I think that was cool! I'm gonna give it a try!

[Healing Hypnosis]

I've being researching about Insomnia and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful :) . I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading.