Same-sex marriage debate: What you need to know  Posted: March
29, 2013  CAN NINE men and women in thick black robes jump onto
a fast-moving train?  That's the challenge facing the U.S.
Supreme Court after two days of historic arguments this week on
whether to remove some or possibly all of the barriers to same-
sex marriage.  Although the high court hearings echoed the
history of the landmark rulings on civil rights for blacks and
other minority groups in the 20th Century, there was a huge
difference.  Polls have shown a huge and rapid reversal in
public opinion on gay marriage since the laws in question - the
federal 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, and California's
Proposition 8 from 2008 - were enacted. Can the nation's highest
court keep pace with public opinion?  Here are some key points
to help you navigate the proceedings:  Q: What were the cases
that the justices heard this week?  A: Challenges to two major
laws have been slowly wending their way toward the Supremes. The
first, heard on Tuesday,