District Court Prop 8 Ban Decision: "An Interesting Relic"

Federal district judge Vaughn Walker's opinion overturning California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage caused a furor first for its expansiveness and second over the question of whether Walker's subsequently-announced long-term same sex relationship required his recusal from the case.  It seems like just yesterday.  Yet SCOTUSblog's Lyle Denniston says that today's decision by the 9th circuit to forego reconsideration of a three-judge panel decision upholding the Walker decision result but on narrower grounds now confines the Walker decision to history as "an interesting relic."