The San Francisco Chronicle has reported "the biggest open secret" in the legal challenge against Proposition 8 is that the judge who is hearing the trial "is himself gay."

The paper reports many gay politicians in the northern California city say Chief District U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker has never taken pains to hide his gay orientation.

Conservatives following the case say Walker has already proven a pro-gay bias. They point out the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his attempt to skirt federal rules by broadcasting the trial.

"From the outset, Walker's entire course of conduct in the anti-Prop 8 case has reflected a manifest design to turn the lawsuit into a high-profile, culture-transforming, history-making, Scopes-style show trial of Prop 8's sponsors," Ed Whelan, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, writes in the National Review Online blog, "The Corner"...