Berkeley Couple, Bush Lawyer Team Up Against Prop. 8

A lesbian couple from Berkeley has teamed up with Ted Olson, who was US solicitor general under the Bush administration and was one of George W. Bush’s top lawyers in Bush v. Gore, in an attempt to overturn Prop. 8 in the federal courts. Kris Perry and Sandy Stier of Berkeley also are working with attorney David Boies, who represented Al Gore and squared off against Olson in the 2000 election fight. Olson and Boies believe that Prop. 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative upheld by the California Supreme Court on Tuesday, violates the federal constitution’s ban on discrimination. As a staunch conservative, Olson’s involvement in the case is somewhat surprising, but he said that he has believed for some time that not allowing gays to marry is wrong. Olson and Boies explained their views last night on CNN.