Lawyers representing both sides of the gay marriage debate are making their case before the California supreme court today.

The court is considering which takes precedence - a constitutional pledge of equality for all, or a voter-approved law forbidding same-sex couples to marry. The court will hear three hours of oral arguments about what the law really is in the Golden State.

California is one of a handful of states where gay couples are entitled to most of the same legal rights as married spouses.

But homosexual activists say marriage is too important to allow for what they consider "inferior alternatives."

The state and same-sex marriage opponents argue that California voters upheld tradition when they rejected a ban eight years ago, and that a gay marriage ban

Source: The Associated Press