Joan Hollinger Says Prop 8 Won’t Apply Retroactively to Same-Sex Marriages

-Reason, Hit & Run blog, Nov. 5, 2008 by Jacob Sullum
http://reason.com/blog/show/129926.html

According to Berkeley law professor Joan Hollinger, quoted last summer in The Advocate, “Constitutional scholars agree that the amendment cannot be effective retroactively,” since that would violate the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of state laws “impairing the obligation of contracts.”

-The Daily Californian, Nov. 6, 2008 by Leslie Toy
http://www.dailycal.org/printable.php?id=103438

“The decision of most of the people I’ve spoken to is that the marriages- and I’m told there’s over 18,000 of them that have occurred between the time of the Supreme Court decisions and yesterday-are going to remain valid marriages,” Hollinger said. “It would be most unusual for a constitutional amendment to apply retroactively.”

-The Daily Californian, Nov. 7, 2008 by Cynthia Moreno
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=77BB15BE-18FE-70B2-A84355AC090D4DC7

“If you deny marriage as a fundamental right to same-sex couples, then you are classifying them as a group of people based on their sexual orientation,” she said. “This classification will question what the government interest is in respect to marriage.”

Christopher Edley Advises Obama’s Transition Team

Contra Costa Times, Nov. 5, 2008 by Josh Richman
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2008/11/05/cal-law-dean-to-advise-obama-transition-team/

“I’ve done two tours of duty in the White House and this is my third transition effort,” Edley told me moments ago. “My joyfulness about the election is tempered by a very deep appreciation of how extraordinarily difficult the president’s to-do list will be. The team has been working for a couple of months, but this will still be the most complex transition in our lifetime. The sleeves are already rolled up and the adrenaline is already at flood levels.”

Richard Frank Says Public Trust Doctrine a Valuable Tool for Protecting Environment

San Francisco Daily Journal, Nov. 4, 2008 by Fiona Smith
http://www.dailyjournal.com

“You don’t have to wait until a particular species is threatened with extinction before taking action to protect it,” said Frank. The court’s opinion could put additional pressure on government agencies to step up in their roles as public trust protectors—the doctrine could be used to preserve long term fishing stocks or block plans to fill a wetland that provides bird-nesting habitat, he added.

Christopher Edley Thanks Coblentz Firm for Generous Endowment Fund

dBusinessNews, Nov. 4, 2008

http://sanfrancisco.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=170039&type_news=latest

“It is our great honor that Bill and his law firm have chosen to continue his longstanding, generous support of civil rights by establishing the Coblentz Fund,” said U.C. Berkeley School of Law Dean Christopher Edley…. Endowments like the Coblentz Fund are critical to the important mission of preparing future generations of leaders who are passionate about civil rights. We are both grateful and honored for this opportunity to continue Bill’s legacy at Berkeley Law.”