Gay marriage case goes to judge

? Lawyers arguing a landmark federal case involving California’s same-sex marriage ban made their final arguments Wednesday, with supporters describing matrimony as an institution intended to promote childbearing and opponents saying the U.S. Supreme Court had recognized it as a fundamental right.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson delivered the closing argument for the two same-sex couples who sued to overturn voter-approved Proposition 8, claiming it violated their civil rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker is being asked to strike down the measure that banned same-sex marriages in California five months after the state’s highest court legalized the practice and after an estimated 18,000 couples from around the nation had tied the knot.