By LISA LEFF - Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge in San Francisco said Thursday that he wants to conduct a full trial on a lawsuit seeking to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban because he expects the case to one day reach the U.S. Supreme Court. During his first hearing on the suit, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker said it was his job as a trial judge to settle any factual disputes surrounding the voter-approved ban and its effect on the civil rights of gays and lesbians before the case goes to a higher court. "I am reasonably sure that, given the personalities in this courtroom, this case is only touching down in this court and it will have a life after this court," Walker said. "What happens here is in many ways a prelude to what happens later." The judge, who was named to the bench by... [read full story]
