this was something that i think a lot of people thought maybe they added on, this question of whether or not the sponsors of proposition 8 had a legal right to defend proposition 8 when the attorney general of california and governor of california weren t going to do so. they thought this was the justices dotting their i s and crossing t s. it was a question and a little role reversal, the court s four more liberal justices maybe trying to stave off an actual ruling on the merits seemed to support the idea that the sponsors of the initiative couldn t come into court and defend it, and it seemed like the chief justice might be sympathetic to that position as well. elizabeth birch, amy howe, howard dean, thank you for joining me. thank you. coming up, new police reports tell us much more about the tucson massacre that killed six people and wounded congresswoman gabby giffords. two of the people that were there will join me in a last word exclusive. and in the rewrite, bill o re
whether or not the sponsors of proposition 8 had a legal right to defend proposition 8 when the attorney general of california and governor of california weren t going to do so. they thought this was the justices dotting their i s and crossing t s. it was a question and a little role reversal, the court s four more liberal justices maybe trying to stave off an actual ruling on the merits seemed to support the idea that the sponsors of the initiative couldn t come into court and defend it, and it seemed like the chief justice might be sympathetic to that position as well. elizabeth birch, amy howe, howard dean, thank you for joining me. thank you. coming up, new police reports tell us much more about the tucson massacre that killed six people and wounded congresswoman gabby giffords. two of the people that were there will join me in a last word exclusive. and in the rewrite, bill o reilly rewrites his position on marriage equality, and rush
individuals out there that could care a less about what you do in your private life, that conversation wins. as a gay american, it s something i m advocating for. as we spoke about with elizabeth birch, more than 70% under the age of 29 feel marriage equality is a nonissue and that, you know, young people coming up today think it s a no brainer. doug, many democrats cheered over the summer when president obama came out endorsing his stance saying he evolved on marriage equality. politico is writing his nuance language stopped short of assuring the u.s. constitution gives it right. he said it was best for states to decide. the supreme court is taking up a prop 8 and a doma case. does the president need to take a stronger stance on this now? i think he should. both on the substance and the politics. the constitution clearly states
supreme court. this is part of our future. marriage equality and the people who made this decision is part of what america is about. joining me now is elizabeth birch. it s great to see you today. a lot to talk about. the most recent polling which, i think, will be a surprise to some. 53% in support of legalizing marriage equality, tieing the previous record high. among young people, 18 to 29-year-olds in age range, 73% say they think same-sex marriages should be recognized as valid. you have been on the front lines of this fight. is this an issue that belongs before the nation s highest court and do you feel that this will be something where we see the justices will rule on the right side of history? well, yes. and thomas, it s great to see you. what the u.s. supreme court actually agreed to hear is one
the defendants are adults, and their conduct was in private and consensual, and, quote, to declare the issue as one related to the right to engage in certain sexual conduct demeans the claim the individual put forward. so could it happen? could it happen next year? that the supreme court declare it is unconstitutional to deny people of the same sex the right to marry? what a question, what a story. joining me now is the president of the human rights campaign, chad griffin, and gay rights advocate elizabeth birch. i think i know what the majority opinion should look like. your thoughts. i couldn t have said it better, chris. it really is an incredible day today, that the supreme court is taking the prop 8 case, the perry case, as well as the doma case. and, you know, look, when this case was filed almost four years ago, the prop 8 case, we made the case in court that in this country we don t deny our citizens a fundamental right,