The Supreme Court blocks videotaping of the gay marriage trial,
Perry v. Schwarzenegger.  The law, lawyers, and the court. Jan.
14 2010 11:43 AM    I'm having Bush v. Gore déjà vu. Late
Wednesday, the Supreme Court blocked video streaming of the
California gay marriage trial. In this unusual (unprecedented?)
order, meddling in the governance of the lower courts, are all
the hallmarks of the court's worst self-inflicted bruise. It's a
smaller bruise this time around, granted. But still.  Let's
count the parallels. In barring video of Perry v.
Schwarzenegger, the court split 5-4, conservatives vs. liberals.
The question addressed—whether the California district court
properly amended its broadcasting rule—has nothing to do with
ideological politics, on its face. But because the trial is
about same-sex marriage, it's all about the politics roiling
underneath. And as in Bush v. Gore, the majority reached out and
grabbed this appeal when no one expected it to. There's a
question about whether the court even has th