Tuesday in politics: High court hears Prop 8 gay marriage case, and more

Phil Pruitt

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments Tuesday morning in a case involving California’s Proposition 8, which rescinded same-sex couple’s right to marry.

The Supreme Court, as Yahoo! News reporter Liz Goodwin explains, could use the case to issue a broad ruling guaranteeing the right to marriage to same-sex couples, shut down gay rights advocates' claims of wrongful exclusion from marriage, or issue a ruling somewhere in between.

[Who’s who in the Prop 8 gay marriage case]

On Wednesday, the justices will consider whether the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act barring the U.S. government from recognizing same-sex marriages, even in states that allow them, constitutes federal overreach.

Also worth noting on Tuesday: President Barack Obama welcomes NHL Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings and Major League Soccer champions LA Galaxy to the White House for a ceremony to honor their 2012 seasons, and Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Sen. Tom Carper deliver remarks at the newly-designated First State National Monument in New Castle, Del.

And then there is this: It is the first anniversary of the Supreme Court beginning three days of hearings on the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” aka Obamacare. It upheld the law in June in a narrow 5-4 decision.

And this: Rep. Nancy Pelosi turns 73 on Tuesday.

Sources: Yahoo News’ The Ticket, Yahoo News reporter Liz Goodwin, ABC News, Associated Press and Reuters.