On Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, the Supreme Court hears more than 3 hours of arguments in the challenges to the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 (Hollingsworth v. Perry) and the Defense of Marriage Act (Windsor v. United States).  On Tuesday morning Circle Sanctuary’s Rev. Selena Fox takes part in a multi-faith prayer service in Washington DC promoting “love & Justice.  Starting tonight, Pagan author and GLBT activist David Salisbury, who is also a guest at this year’s Sacred Harvest Festival, is camping out on the steps of the Supreme Court .

Proposition 8, which centers around a challenge to California’s voter-approved gay marriage ban, is argued on Tuesday at 10am  ET.  SCOTUS is to decide is it violates the 14th Amendment, which prevents states from denying people equal protection under the law.  The case could hinge on a technicality since there’s a question about whether gay marriage opponents have a right to defend the ban in court, since the state of California has declined to do so.

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), falls under the Fifth Amendment and is argued Wednesday at 10am ET.  The case challenges the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages which prevents those couples from getting tax breaks and other benefits for married couples.  Similar to Prop 8, the Obama administration has decided not to defend the law, so this raises the question if SCOTUS has the jurisdiction to rule on the case.

 Depending on how the SCOTUS rules, both of these trials could have major nation-wide effects that would change the course of our movement forever. People from all over the country will be arriving here in the District to rally at the trial on Tuesday. A crew of people (including me) will be sleeping outside on the sidewalk of the Supreme Court on Monday night before the rally on Tuesday. That night I will facilitate a ritual calling upon the guardian Goddess of DC and of the United States, Columbia. We will ask Columbia to bring the sword of victory to our work, leading us in the march to freedom and justice. Before the Tuesday rally, I’ll attend an interfaith service with some of my of my coreligionists and people of other faiths. – David Salisbury, Witches & Pagans magazine

David Salisbury

Salisbury will be live tweeting starting tonight and you can follow him on twitter.

On Tuesday morning, in Washington DC, Rev. Selena Fox is taking part in a multi-faith equality prayer service at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation starting at 7:15am.  The prayer service is followed by a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court.  Twenty different clergy members representing 15 different faiths are leading the prayer service.  Rev. Fox is also attending the ritual hosted by David Salisbury to call upon the patron Goddess of the United States, Columbia, to bless our nation and guide the Supreme Court towards  justice, truth, and equality.

Rev. Selena Fox

A local rally in support of same sex marriage takes place in St. Paul at 7pm tonight.  Interested persons are meeting at the Federal Courthouse Plaza in Minneapolis.  The organizer for the event, Jacob Reita, says there will be no speeches and no anger, ”   I am inviting you to come and stand with me to give witness to the nation and the world how important that week will be for LGBT American obtaining freedom and equality.  If the spirit moves you come on down to the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis with your candle, your determination for fully equality and spend an hour with me.”

If you live outside the Twin Cities area, you can find rally in your state on this google map.