Excellent.

Too many chefs spoils the stew!

Those are the legal organizations, the actual plaintiffs Lavender Seniors, PFLAG, and Our Family Coalition were who they were representing. Those organizations vary in size and represent diverse families in our community.

Awesome. A major federal same-sex marriage case – which could affect the rights of every gay in America – is now officially being led by a legal team that's never won a gay rights case ever.

I guess all we can do now is cross our fingers and hope the roulette ball hits our number. 'Cause gambling is basically what these two straight hired-guns are doing with our rights.

@Sam: They may not have ever tried a same-sex marriage case, but these two men are two of the very BEST attorneys in the nation. Olson was Solicitor General under GW Bush, and the conservative side of the Supreme Court respects him. These men argued against each other before the Supreme Court in Bush vs. Gore. They are light years ahead in the profession than our own fine lawyers (Shannon Minter, etc.) We're in very good hands.

I just looked it up… Ted Olson has argued before the Supreme Court FIFTY FIVE times. This is a conservative (with a Libertarian streak, I imagine), who is risking his reputation and going to bat for us. I admire HRC and all the other gay rights groups, but Olson/Boies et al will do just fine on their own.

(He won 44 of the 55 cases. A damn good track record!)

@Sam: @Mark:

SF City Attorney's office helped to get Supreme Court to rule in favor of marriage equality case in May 2008.

@Kaileo: Maybe. Ted Olson argued before the Supreme Court mainly as the Solicitor General. Most of David Boies's experience is as a corporate attorney. This might be hard to grasp, but the very best attorney in one area of law is NOT necessarily going to do as well in another area.

Hiring Olson/Boies to do a same-sex marriage case is similar to hiring a top cardiologist to do your brain surgery. Might their skill at one thing transfer to the other? Maybe. But wouldn't it make more sense to use the folks who already know what they're doing (or at least let them help)?

As everyone seems to forget, the LGBT lawyers ("Shannon Minter, etc." as you call them) were the team that won marriage in California in the first place. They DEFINITELY know what they're doing. Whether Olson/Boies do remains to be seen (though the fact that Judge Walker has ALREADY chided them for not doing a thorough job is NOT a good sign).

@Jack: True, but they've also been limited by Judge Walker to only "demonstrating any governmental impact of Prop. 8" in this case.

@Sam: Don't be an asshole. Your "hard to grasp" remark was rude and unnecessary.