Cyclone Aila Kills More Than 150 in Asia

Read our earlier coverage of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor.

The California Supreme Court voted today 6-1 to uphold the gay marriage ban in the state, titled Proposition 8. In November, 52% of voters elected to ban same-sex marriage, but gay rights activists had held out hope that the ban would be overturned today. The court did rule, however, to allow almost 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before Prop 8 to stand, MSNBC.

Mike Tyson’s four-year-old daughter has died from injuries sustained yesterday after she was accidentally strangled by a cord connected to a treadmill. Yesterday the young girl had been listed in extremely serious condition and had been on life support since the accident, USA Today.

Niger’s President, Mamadou Tandja, has dissolved the country’s parliament after a court denied his request to seek a third term in office. The act has been met with opposition, and some fear Tandja will become a dictator, BBC News.

At least 150 people were killed today when a cyclone hit Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. An estimated 500,000 people are now homeless as a result of Cyclone Aila, BBC News.

Breaking: Prop 8 Upheld

In a 6-1 decision, a California high court has upheld Prop 8, a California resolution that bans same-sex marriage in the state. The 18,000 or so marriages performed in the state last year before the ban will still be valid. Hundreds are reported to be marching in San Fransisco now, we’ll update with pictures and video as soon as we can.

WCBSTV live feed.

Breaking: Pres. Obama Nominates Fed. Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court

President Obama has announced that he will nominate federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor will take the place of Justice David Souter who announced his retirement last month. If confirmed, Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court. She will also be one of two woman on the Court, serving with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, retired during the Bush administration. Sotomayor, whose nomination must be confirmed by a majority vote in the US Senate, is expected to be confirmed easily. The nominee must first be examined by the Senate Judiciary Committee which Democrats control 12 to 7. Many conservatives had talked about aggressively blocking any nominee, but Republican leaders have been backing off that tactic, New York Times. See the New York Law Journal for more information on Judge Sotomayor’s past rulings and judicial philosophy.

Obama will make the announcement of his selection at 10:15 EDT. Watch the announcement live on the Whitehouse website, Whitehouse.gov.

Coming one day after testing a nuclear bomb underground and testing two short-range missiles, North Korea has launched another two short-range missiles. South Korea is on high alert. The UN Security Council is working on a new resolution which will have stricter consequences for the unlawful tests, BBC News.

In news we’ll be watching today, California’s Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the ballot measure that changed the California State Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. 18,000 same-sex marriages were conducted before Prop 8 went into effect. Today’s ruling will also determine whether those marriages are still valid, CNN. Californians are prepared to take to the streets in celebration or protest once the ruling is made, Day of Decision.