PROP 8 TRIAL UPDATE ||| MORMONS AND CATHOLICS UNITE

It is Day 7 of the trial challenging Prop 8 in San Francisco, California. Today it was revealed that the Catholic Church and the Church of Latter Day Saints, among other religious organizations, allied themselves during the Prop 8 campaign in California. The Mormons alone mobilized 5,000 pastors and 20,000 ward members in every zip code of California, disguising themselves as "campaign volunteers."

Below are three liveblog excerpts from the trial. The liveblog is thanks to the website firedoglake, where volunteers are literally sitting in the overflow courtroom transcribing every word of the trial.

The attorney for the plaintiffs is Theodore Boutrous (who you might remember from Gore v. Bush in 2000). He is questioning expert witness Gary Segura.

For more trial as it happens, go to: http://firedoglake.com/prop8trial/

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[On internal emails between LDS members working on Yes on 8]

Boutros: OK, read the first paragraph, Mr. Segura and explain significance.

Segura: Since the First Presidency letter was read in every ward throughout CA, I was asked what our Public Affairs role would be in the campaign.

B: Third graf?

S: As you know from the first Presidency letter, this campaign is entirely under priesthood direction – in concert with leaders of many other faiths… all of us working in Public Affairs will simply stand by and wait to be engaged as the time comes.

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[Reading from an email from a Catholic priest to members of the church]

Boutrous : OK, pick up this reading.

Gary Segura: The Catholic Conference has played a substantial role in inviting Catholic faithful to put their faith in action by volunteering and donating… Of course this campaign owes an enormous debt to the LDS Church. I will comment specifically at a later time (under separate cover) about their financial, organizational and management contributions to the success of this effort.

B: Describe what this means.

S: Closeness between Catholic Conference and LDS Church is unprecedented. Also, I’m struck by the “financial, organizational and management contributions” line, suggesting close coordination.

B: Does this seem unprecedented, the teaming up of Catholic church and LDS Church?

S: I can’t think of another moment like it in American history.

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[On the influence of religious groups on Prop 8's passage]

B: Elaborate.

S: Looking at the political opportunity structure, we might look at religious belief as a source of opposition to homosexuality. But this appears to suggest fairly close coordination between religious orgs and the leaders of the initiative.

B: Have you ever seen this kind of structure employed to eliminate constitutional right of a minority group?

S: This is new in my experience.