Intervenors
ProtectMarriage.com, the sponsors of Proposition 8, asked for permission to intervene in the cases. On November 19, 2008, the Court granted permission for them to do so.
The Campaign for California Families, a conservative religious organization, also asked the court for permission to become an official party to all three cases. The group unsuccessfully sought to place a same-sex marriage ban on the November ballot that also would have denied domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples. Represented by the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, the Campaign said in its motion to intervene that state officials would not adequately defend the rights of voters. On November 19, 2008, the Court denied permission for CCF to intervene in the cases.
On December 19, 2008, the official proponents of Proposition 8 filed briefs responding to each of the anti-Prop. 8 lawsuits already filed with the court, seeking to uphold the validity of Proposition 8 against the lawsuits and nullify same-sex marriages already in effect. Kenneth Starr, dean of Pepperdine University School of Law and investigator of the suicide of Vince Foster and Whitewater controversy, joined the Proposition 8 legal defence team that same day.
Read more about this topic: Strauss V. Horton, Involved Parties