Prop 8 Backers Fight Plan To Televise The Olson/Boies Trial

The backers of Proposition 8 say that the proposed plan to televise next month's trial will scare off the people they have scheduled to testify.

Television coverage could expose witnesses and other trial participants to harassment and intimidation, backers of Proposition 8 said in a court filing Monday. They said some of their witnesses "have indicated that they would not be willing to testify" if the trial was televised. They also argued that a long-standing court rule prohibits cameras and cannot be changed until the court invites and considers public comment. The filing by attorney Charles Cooper hinted that the Yes-on-8 campaign would ask higher courts to intervene if Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker approved TV coverage.

The challengers of Prop 8 are calling the "safety concerns" over broadcasting the trial "unsubstantiated and groundless speculation."