rhetoric and political posturing . If they can view the Prop 8 trial via YouTube , they will be surprised by what they see : a decision-making process devoid of politics , in which a thoughtful and unbiased judge asks hard questions of both sides ' lawyers in search of legal rules reflecting neutral principles , not political fiat . At a time when most Americans have lost confidence in the government 's ability to act in the general interest , the potentially huge audience for the Prop 8 trial would see that at least one branch of government tries to make decisions on the merits . Broadcasting the trial will confer legitimacy on the proceedings as nothing else can . Legitimacy matters . If , in the end , Judge Walker upholds Prop 8 , rejecting challenges to its constitutionality , opponents of the law will feel angry and aggrieved -- to put it mildly . But if they have viewed the trial online , they are less likely to feel victimized in a process that was politically rigged . Defenders of Prop 8 are against broadcasting the trial because they believe it would infringe on their right to
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's hard to imagine a video of lawyers debating points of constitutional law going viral on YouTube , but the audience for the Proposition 8 trial -- a lawsuit seeking to overturn California 's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage -- is potentially vast . Unfortunately , that audience will have to wait . U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker had decided to allow the proceedings to be taped , then aired on YouTube . But as the trial was set to begin Monday morning , the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order blocking its broadcast . Our camera-phobic high court is making a mistake . Public access should be encouraged , not thwarted , in court cases involving divisive issues -- all the more so when judicial power is invoked in an effort to invalidate the outcome of a vote . Although some Supreme Court justices might worry that cameras in the courtroom undermine the legitimacy of the judicial process , the reality is just the opposite . The Prop 8 trial is a case in point . People on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue are accustomed to a political process coarsened by ideological