A U.S. District Court is reviewing the constitutional validity of California’s Proposition 8, which restored the definition of marriage in California as being between a man and a woman.
The trial has heard cases from both sides, and it now may take several weeks before U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker invites lawyers to make their closing arguments before he issues his ruling.

Reports are already speculating that regardless of which way the chips fall, the case is likely to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case went for 12 days, and saw the plaintiffs calling more than a dozen witnesses, including the two gay couples who started the case in the first place. According to Time Magazine they spoke about the importance of marriage, its impact on children and the role religion played in the campaign for Prop 8. Meanwhile, the defence only called two witnesses, who argued that marriage is fundamental to human society and that it has nearly always been limited to one man and one woman.

David Boies, one of the attorneys in favour of gay marriage, has stated that he believes the case could be before the U.S. Supreme Court by the fall of 2011.