photo: Fritz Liess via Flickr

[Ed. Note: Teddy will be on the Nicole Sandler show at the top of the hour (3pm PDT). You can find the stream at Sandler's site.]

As was expected given the extraordinary lawyering and presentation of the facts on the case by Plaintiffs’ Counsel, as well as the clues aptly summed up by Bmaz last night, Judge Vaughn Walker ruled today that California’s Proposition 8 violates the civil rights of same-sex couples to enter into the fundamental American right to marry.

This case will surely be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, should the rubes who fund the American Bigot-Protectors of Opposite Marriage cough up the money to pay a set of appellate attorneys to provide a new rationale for denying American couples to right to marry. Surely we can expect to see the So-Called Liberal Media parade out the leaders of the Opposite Marriage Brigade (Andrew Pugno, Brian Brown and Maggie Gallagher) to appeal for fundage to fight the secularity newly infecting our body politic.

Public airwaves victimhood might even extend to bishops of the Minding-Others-Business LDS (Mormon) church and the “Moral-Authority-What-Moral-Authority?” child predator protectors of America’s Catholic hierarchy as well. Every perceived setback is a chance to raise money from folks whose marriages are now direly threatened, of course.

This decision may be stayed pending appeal, in fact the Defendant-Intervenors (losers today, how’s it feel, Andy Pugno?) late last night filed a motion to halt implementation of the ruling. After all, Andy’s team is so considerate of the couples whose relationships solemnized under a court ruling sure to be challenged would be in the same limbo as the folks married under Gavin Newsom’s illegal 2004 Winter of Love in San Francisco. And we all know how much the bigots and haters care about the feelings of the newly limbo-ized gays and lesbians: the feelings and marital status of people they couldn’t avoid calling harmful to children during their religion-based and animus-driven campaign to strip marriage rights are now suddenly their primary concern?

I don’t think so, Pugno.

FDL Covers the Prop 8 TrialSo, yes — victory. But as people celebrate everywhere tonight, please beware. Hate is strong. Sing out, Louise, but be mindful: nothing brings out the wackaloons like a perceived threat to their sexual authority. And, apparently, two dudes kissing — and, horrors! marrying — makes some heteronormative zealots very uncomfortable. Hate may not have prevailed today, but we can certainly count on its being around for a while. Stay safe out there, people: there’s nothing like a successful victory for freedom to bring out the bashers and haters lurking in the underbelly of the American psyche.

We won! For now. Celebrate peaceably and warily, though, you freedom-loving Americans everywhere. Show love when hate is turned your way. Provide to America an example of what’s best about first-class citizenship. We’re surely one more step in that direction today.

And thanks to each and every one of you — readers, commenters, lurkers, and donor/sponsors alike — for your support of the Firedoglake team’s coverage of this trial. I’d like to thank David Dayen, egregious, Emptywheel’s bmaz, Brian Sonenstein, Marcy Wheeler, Michael Whitney and all the backstage cast and Mod Squad crew for all their spectacular efforts this year. It’s been a long road, and none better to travel it with than all of you.

And to Jane Hamsher, who made up FDL in her head — thank you, dear friend, for allowing us a place to make this all happen.

Victory is ours!