Testimony ended this week in the high-powered federal trial to decide the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the controversial California amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Attorneys for sponsors of Prop 8 rested their case after calling just two witnesses including scholar David Blankenhorn, president and founder of the Institute for American Values.

Blakenhorn, who defined marriage as "a socially approved sexual relationship between a man and a woman," argued the needs of children should come before the needs of same-sex couples.

After the nearly 12 days of testimony, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker called for a break before closing arguments, expected to take place in either March or April.

But even after the judge's decision both sides expect appeals to continue, most likely, until the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.