bowl xlv. legal officials are there to set up this week. the big game isn t until february 6th. remember proposition eight, voters passed it two years ago but it s still being challenged. a federal appeals court hearing going on today in san francisco. dan simon outside the courthouse. this goes on and on and on. what are we expecting today? reporter: well, today it s from front of the ninth circuit court of appeals will the case will be heard by a three-judge panel. it was just back in august when vaughn walker tossed prop eight aside. it was a historic ruling but everything was put on hold while this case continues to make its way through the court system. you touched on prop eight. proposition eight was a voter led initiative passed by a narrow majority of california voters, 52% majority in november 2008. it defined marriage between a man and a woman.
anticipation here. let s just review briefly how we got to this point. proposition 8, this was a voter-led initiative to define marriage between a man and a woman. passed by a narrow majority of voters, 52% to 48%. same-sex marriage supporters rushed to the courthouse to try to get this overturned. the trial took place all the way back in january. 2 1/2-week trial. then you got last week where the judge issued his ruling, striking down proposition 8, calling it unconstitutional. the judge put a stay on his own ruling. really, just until today to decide whether or not he will allow marriages to resume. we know that there are plenty of same-sex couples gathering at city halls and courthouses all across the country, trying to get married, literally today in event the judge lifts his own stay. and again, that s what we re waiting for the judge to decide. dan, the protestors out