Prop. 8 trial reenacted at USC Law

Students invited to attend filming in Ackerman Courtroom On Jan. 11, a highly anticipated federal trial on same-sex couples’ marriage rights began in a San Francisco courtroom. Despite massive interest in the proceedings, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that video footage could not be broadcast on YouTube and at other state courthouses. Shocked by the decision, actor and filmmaker John Ireland decided to bring the trial to the public by reenacting each minute of arguments and witness testimony using professional actors and filmmakers. Shooting begins in the Ackerman Courtroom at USC Law on Jan. 22 and will continue about 10 days, or as long as the trial lasts. “We want to deliver an authentic message from the courts to anybody who will have it,” says Ireland, who is co-producing the project with John Ainsworth. “Our goal is not to filter or editorialize; our goal is to provide transparency and access, which is the hallmark of our American justice system.” Within a day or two of filming, episodes consisting of a day’s testimony will be posted at http://MarriageTrial.com/ and streamed on YouTube. Episode One is currently available at the site. USC Law Prof. David B. Cruz, an expert in constitutional law and sex, gender and sexual orientation law, is advising the project. He says the project is an important one due to the significance of the Prop. 8 legislation. “Regardless of its ultimate outcome in the federal appeals court and/or U.S. Supreme Court, the trial is an important educational resource for the nation, indeed the world,” Cruz said. “People will be more informed if they have meaningful access to what goes on in Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker’s courtroom — the legal arguments surrounding marriage equality, the scholarship about relationships and family and parenting just to name some, the claims made by those seeking to defend the exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage. “Few people are going to have the time and patience to read through the voluminous transcripts — almost 1300 pages just in the first week of trial. Being able to play the reenactment on the web will increase exposure, which in the end can only help the cause of equality under law.” The project is a signatory to the Screen Actors Guild’s New Media Agreement. Ireland and Ainsworth have obtained full transcripts from the plaintiffs’ attorneys and will use more than 40 actors to portray each plaintiff, defendant, witness and court officer participating in the trial. Cruz says it is disheartening that a bare majority of Supreme Court justices blocked the broadcast of the Prop. 8 trial, and he notes that witnesses are not testifying anonymously. “I wanted to do what I could to support this important effort to bring to the public what really belongs to us anyway – our open judicial process,” Cruz said. Filming begins Jan. 22 and will continue through the weekend and following week. USC Law students who are interested in watching or participating should contact Prof. Cruz, 213.740.2551. -By Lori Craig