Starting next week, the spotlight on the status of gay marriage in America will shift to the Eugene courtroom of U.S. District Judge Michael McShane – who finds himself in an unusual position. Unlike the five federal judges who have struck down laws prohibiting same-sex marriages in other states in recent months, McShane won't have anyone in the courtroom defending Oregon's constitutional ban when he holds oral arguments Wednesday. And, unlike the other judges, McShane also happens to be one of just nine openly gay members of the federal judiciary, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Backers of a gay marriage initiative are even asking McShane to rule by May 23 so that they don't have to take their fight to the November ballot. McShane, citing the sensitivity of the case, declined to be interviewed for this story.
www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2014/04/gay_mar....html
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