Prop 8 Is Heading To The Supreme Court: What's Next?

Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban passed by California voters in 2008, has spent the last few years winding through courts which found no rational basis to keep gays from marrying.

However, the haters have appealed every step of the way and now the case is going to the U.S. Supreme Court, where they will decide whether or not to put the case to trial.

So when will we know if the case goes to trial? Matt Baume at Prop 8 Trial Tracker lays it down here and in the video below:

The Justices will meet on Monday, September 24th, to discuss all the cases before them. At that meeting, they'll chose some of the cases that they'll hear during their upcoming term, which will run from November to June of 2013. Other cases, they'll decide not to hear.

If they decide to take our case, they'll announce it in a list that's released on Tuesday, September 25th. Then we'll file briefs, have oral arguments, and get a decision from the court by next June.

If we're not on that list, it means one of two things. Either they won't hear our case, or they're simply holding off on making a decision until later.

If they've rejected the petition to hear our case, then they'll announce that on the following Monday, October 1st. In that case, our previous victory will be the final, decisive word. In other words, Prop 8 will be unconstitutional forever, and marriages can start back up again in California.

But also the court is also considering whether to hear several lawsuits challenging the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act, which could make this a monumental year for LGBT equality.