Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Showdown in San Francisco

Aired February 17, 2004 - 11:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A legal showdown in San Francisco today could end the same-sex marriage frenzy. Opponents go to court today trying to stop gay couples from tying the knot.
Our Miguel Marquez is covering today's developments.

Miguel -- good morning.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

It's not quite the festival scene that we saw here yesterday, because they have handed out 50 tickets here at City Hall in San Francisco. And all of the people you see lined up here to City Hall doors and all of the people that go down to the end of the block, probably 300 people or so, they are sort of the hopeful overflows, hoping that City Hall can handle more than 50 marriages today, and everybody else in line might be able to be married at some point today.

Two people who are part of the hopeful overflows are with me here.

You guys have been together for 35 years. Why are you waiting? It seems like there's not going to be a chance today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we might as well do it today. We came yesterday, and if we have to come back tomorrow we'll come back tomorrow.

MARQUEZ: You guys have obviously seen a lot of history. You've been around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We certainly have.

MARQUEZ: What is it like to be standing here this day with the possibility of being married?

MARK ROSE, WAITING TO GET MARRIED: It's very exciting. It's part of the media event. We're living history, actually...

MARQUEZ: This is...

ROSE: The historical aspect of it.

MARQUEZ: What sort of history is this? Political history? Legal history?

ROSE: No, it's about romance and love and sex and no violence. It's happy times.

MARQUEZ: I think a lot of people out there would say this is a bit of bad history being created there. How do you...

ROSE: That's the way they see things, but in truth it's love, you know. It's dedication.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a good history. It's not a threat to anyone.

MARQUEZ: OK. Thank you very much. How long are you going to wait today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll wait as long as we need to.

MARQUEZ: All right, thank you very much.

The waiting -- a judge will decide some of that waiting today at 11:00 Pacific Time and then at 2:00 Pacific Time. There will be two different injunction hearings. A judge will decide whether or not those licenses that have already been handed out are null and void, and if San Francisco should stop handing out licenses.

Legal scholars on both sides seem to say that nobody really knows what a judge is going to decide. It will come down to possibly a constitutional discussion in court today, and no matter who wins, it seems that it will be appealed -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, thank you so much, Miguel Marquez in San Francisco.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired February 17, 2004 - 11:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A legal showdown in San Francisco today could end the same-sex marriage frenzy. Opponents go to court today trying to stop gay couples from tying the knot.
Our Miguel Marquez is covering today's developments.

Miguel -- good morning.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

It's not quite the festival scene that we saw here yesterday, because they have handed out 50 tickets here at City Hall in San Francisco. And all of the people you see lined up here to City Hall doors and all of the people that go down to the end of the block, probably 300 people or so, they are sort of the hopeful overflows, hoping that City Hall can handle more than 50 marriages today, and everybody else in line might be able to be married at some point today.

Two people who are part of the hopeful overflows are with me here.

You guys have been together for 35 years. Why are you waiting? It seems like there's not going to be a chance today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we might as well do it today. We came yesterday, and if we have to come back tomorrow we'll come back tomorrow.

MARQUEZ: You guys have obviously seen a lot of history. You've been around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We certainly have.

MARQUEZ: What is it like to be standing here this day with the possibility of being married?

MARK ROSE, WAITING TO GET MARRIED: It's very exciting. It's part of the media event. We're living history, actually...

MARQUEZ: This is...

ROSE: The historical aspect of it.

MARQUEZ: What sort of history is this? Political history? Legal history?

ROSE: No, it's about romance and love and sex and no violence. It's happy times.

MARQUEZ: I think a lot of people out there would say this is a bit of bad history being created there. How do you...

ROSE: That's the way they see things, but in truth it's love, you know. It's dedication.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a good history. It's not a threat to anyone.

MARQUEZ: OK. Thank you very much. How long are you going to wait today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll wait as long as we need to.

MARQUEZ: All right, thank you very much.

The waiting -- a judge will decide some of that waiting today at 11:00 Pacific Time and then at 2:00 Pacific Time. There will be two different injunction hearings. A judge will decide whether or not those licenses that have already been handed out are null and void, and if San Francisco should stop handing out licenses.

Legal scholars on both sides seem to say that nobody really knows what a judge is going to decide. It will come down to possibly a constitutional discussion in court today, and no matter who wins, it seems that it will be appealed -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, thank you so much, Miguel Marquez in San Francisco.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.