CAPITOL TELEVISION NEWS SERVICE
SACRAMENTO, CA
(916) 446-7890
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH , 2008
• TO REQUEST 16 BY 9 FILES OF THE CTNS NEWSFEED ONLINE PLEASE CONTACT ROB GRIFFITH. THE PRELIM, MIDDAY AND SCRIPTS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT WWW.CTNSNEWS.COM .•
1. BIG 6 MEETS VO/SOT
2. HEALTHY FAMILIES PROGRAM BROKE VO/SOT
3. PROPOSITION 8 UPDATE VO/SOT
STATIONS PLEASE NOTE: SHORTLY BEFORE C-T-N-S DEADLINE, THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCED TODAY IT WILL REVIEW PROPOSITION 8, THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN PASSED BY VOTERS EARLIER THIS MONTH. THE COURT HAS ORDERED BRIEFS TO BE FILED DURING THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER AND JANUARY, AND WILL SCHEDULE THE PRESENTATION OF ORAL ARGUMENTS AFTER RECEIVING THE BRIEFS. PROPONENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN TO PASS PROPOSITION 8 HAVE BEEN GRANTED LEGAL STANDING TO PRESENT ARGUMENTS ALONG WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THE ISSUES THE COURT WILL DETERMINE ARE WHETHER PROPOSITION 8 IS A CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION OR AMENDMENT, WHETHER THE PROPOSITION VIOLATES CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED SEPARATION OF POWERS, AND WHAT WILL BE THE LEGAL STATUS OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGES LICENSED BY THE STATE DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE COURT'S REJECTION OF PROPOSITION 22 LAST SUMMER, AND THE PASSAGE OF THE MEASURE ON NOVEMBER 4TH.
4. 2008 POT BUSTS VO/SOT
3. PROPOSITION 8 UPDATE VO/SOT
STATIONS PLEASE NOTE: THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCED TODAY IT WILL REVIEW PROPOSITION 8, THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN PASSED BY VOTERS EARLIER THIS MONTH. THE COURT HAS ORDERED BRIEFS TO BE FILED DURING THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER AND JANUARY, AND WILL SCHEDULE THE PRESENTATION OF ORAL ARGUMENTS AFTER RECEIVING THE BRIEFS. PROPONENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN TO PASS PROPOSITION 8 HAVE BEEN GRANTED LEGAL STANDING TO PRESENT ARGUMENTS ALONG WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THE ISSUES THE COURT WILL DETERMINE ARE WHETHER PROPOSITION 8 IS A CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION OR AMENDMENT, WHETHER THE PROPOSITION VIOLATES CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED SEPARATION OF POWERS, AND WHAT WILL BE THE LEGAL STATUS OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGES LICENSED BY THE STATE DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE COURT'S REJECTION OF PROPOSITION 22 LAST SUMMER, AND THE PASSAGE OF THE MEASURE ON NOVEMBER 4TH.
LIVE:
THE ATTORNEY FOR GROUPS BACKING PROPOSITION 8 SAY HE'S CONFIDENT THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT WILL UPHOLD THE BALLOT MEASURE, AND CONTINUE CALIFORNIA'S RECENTLY PASSED BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. ANDREW PUGNO COMPARES THE CURRENT CASE TO THE EFFORT TO OVERTURN A PROPOSITION THAT REVERSED THE COURT AFTER IT BANNED THE DEATH PENALTY IN CALIFORNIA.
SUPER: FILE
VO: (:25)
THE ACLU AND OTHER GROUPS SEEKING TO OVERTURN PROPOSITION 8 ARGUE THE BALLOT MEASURE DENIES CIVIL RIGHTS ALREADY GRANTED BY THE COURT. THEY CLAIM SUCH A SWEEPING DENIAL OF THOSE RIGHTS AMOUNTS TO A CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION, NOT AN AMENDMENT. THEREFORE, THEY SAY THE BALLOT MEASURE IS INVALID BECAUSE REVISIONS REQUIRE MORE THAN A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. PUGNO SAYS THE COURT BANNED THE DEATH PENALTY IN CALIFORNIA AFTER ITS OWN RULING THAT CRIMINALS' CIVIL RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED BY THE DEATH PENALTY, BUT THEN LATER UPHELD A BALLOT INITIATIVE THAT RESTORED THE DEATH PENALTY.
SUPER: ANDREW PUGNO/ PROPOSITION 8 ATTORNEY
SOT: (:48)
SAYS: "IT'S AN EXTREMELY CLOSE ANALOGY. IT'S EERILY SIMILAR. THE COURT SAID THERE WAS THIS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT THAT BELONGED TO CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS THAT THE STATE COULD NOT TAKE AWAY, THEN STRUCK DOWN THE DEATH PENALTY. AND THEN THE VOTERS SAID NO, THE DEATH PENALTY DOES NOT VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION, AND IT WILL UH, AND OVERRODE THE COURT. AND SO IT'S VERY SIMILAR HERE, UH I MEAN THAT'S THE PEOPLE WHEN THEY PUT MARRIAGE ON THE BALLOT AND RESTORED TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE, IT'S JUST LIKE RESTORING THE DEATH PENALTY; BEFORE THEY CLAIMED THAT RESTORING THE DEATH PENALTY STRIPPED AWAY RIGHTS FROM CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS, FUNDAMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S THE CONSTITUTION, AND WHAT IT SAYS THAT RULES THE DAY AND THE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO AMEND IT."
VO TAG:
PUGNO SAYS HE IS CONCERNED CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL JERRY BROWN, WHO OPPOSES PROPOSITION 8, WON'T PROVIDE A STRONG DEFENSE FOR PROPOSITION 8 BEFORE THE COURT. TODAY THE COURT GRANTED PUGNO'S MOTION TO DEFEND PROPOSITION 8 ALONG WITH BROWN WHEN IT HEARS THE CASE NEXT YEAR.
EDITOR'S NOTE: PUGNO IS PRONOUNCED "POON-YO"
IN 1972, THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT RULED THE DEATH PENALTY CONSTITUTES CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT, IN VIOLATION OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION. NINE MONTHS LATER, IN NOVEMBER 1972, CALIFORNIA VOTERS APPROVED AN INITIATIVE BALLOT MEASURE AMENDING THE STATE CONSTITUTION. THAT BALLOT MEASURE WAS UPHELD BY THE COURT.
EXTRA BITES:
SUPER: ANDREW PUGNO/ PROPOSITION 8 ATTORNEY
SOT: (:35)
SAYS: "IT IS THE SAME COURT, IT'S THE SAME SEVEN JUSTICES AS STRUCK DOWN THE MARRIAGE LAWS THIS SUMMER AND ALLOWED GAY MARRIAGE TO BECOME LEGAL. BUT THE ISSUE HERE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THE ISSUE HERE ISN'T WHETHER PROPOSITION 8 VIOLATES A RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT EXIST. THE ONLY ISSUE IS, IS THIS THE KIND OF INITIATIVE THAT CAN OR CANNOT BE PROPOSED BY THE VOTERS. OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT CAN ONLY COME OUT OF A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, WHICH WE HAVEN'T SEEN FOR AGES IN CALIFORNIA. THAT'S THE ONLY LEGAL QUESTION."
ON WHETHER THE COURT WOULD CONSIDER BROWN'S ACTIONS RE: PROP 8 WHEN DECIDING WHETHER TO ALLOW PROPOSITION 8 PROPONENTS TO ASSIST IN ITS DEFENSE:
SOT: (:29)
SAYS: "OH SURE, THE COURT CAN LOOK AT THAT, THE COURT CAN LOOK AT WHAT HAS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ALREADY SAID, HAS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ALREADY DONE. BUT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT MATTERS MOST IS, IT'S VERY TYPICAL, ALMOST ALWAYS THE PROPONENTS AND SPONSORS OF AN AMENDMENT ARE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE CASES. SO IF WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE, THEN WE'RE BEING SINGLED OUT FOR WHATEVER REASON AND THAT'S NOT REALLY PROPER."
