From the Courage Campaign Institute:

The Associated Press is reporting that Protect Marriage -- the coalition of right-wing religious groups that sponsored Prop 8 --  filed an appeal today in response to Judge Vaughn Walker's historic ruling yesterday striking down the discriminatory initiative. Walker has ordered both sides to submit written arguments by Friday as he determines whether to grant a stay in the case.

Meanwhile, Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage launched a counter-attack to rally the religious right, calling Walker's decision a sign of a "Soviet-style" government takeover of marriage, leading the way as conservative groups stoke a backlash against the decision.   

With the opposition going on the attack, we need your support now to defend Judge Walker's historic decision in the court of public opinion. Less than 24 hours after we sent you the message below, our community blew through Tom Dolby and Drew Frist's $25,000 matching grant challenge, raising $62,729. Because of that smashing success, we're setting a huge new $100,000 goal to go on offense against the Prop 8 campaign, NOM and Focus on the Family. Will you help us reach this critical goal? DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecison

Dear Daniel --

Judge Vaughn Walker just released his decision, ruling that PROP 8 IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

Judge Walker's federal court decision is an historic milestone in the fight for full equality, but it is only a first step: The decision will inevitably be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

After denying Americans the opportunity to watch this historic trial on television, Prop 8 campaign leaders and extreme right-wing organizations like the National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family will stop at nothing to delegitimize this decision before it ever reaches the Supreme Court.

But this time, we're fighting back by launching our biggest campaign ever -- an unprecedented online storytelling project to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of the American people and transform the debate over marriage equality.

As the next phase in our year-long "Testimony: Equality on Trial" project, our new campaign will empower same-sex couples, their families, and allies to fundamentally change the conversation about same-sex marriage in America -- establishing today's ruling as the social and cultural foundation for victory in the Supreme Court.

To defend Judge Walker's historic decision, we need to go on offense against the Prop 8 campaign, NOM and Focus on the Family. That's why Tom Dolby and Drew Frist, just married last year, have pledged to contribute $25,000 if our community can match it in the next 48 hours. Will you help us make the match and defend Judge Walker's decision in the court of public opinion? Click here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or more right now! DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecision

Ted Olson, the legendary attorney who teamed up with one-time adversary David Boies to successfully lead this case against Prop 8, said it better than anyone:

"If there was ever a trial in the history of our country that the American people should have seen, it was this one."

I couldn't agree more. To prevent the right-wing from spouting the same lies that were debunked and destroyed in Judge Walker's courtroom, we must translate today's victory in court to victory in the hearts and minds of Americans.

That's why we collected nearly 140,000 signatures to televise the Prop 8 trial -- a campaign cited in a dissenting opinion to the the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision against broadcast. It's also why we launched the Prop 8 Trial Tracker and the NOM Tour Tracker -- generating more than 2.5 million views and 44,121 comments combined. And it's why we are bringing this trial to life across America with the next phase of Testimony: Equality on Trial.

Today's historic decision must be defended in the court of public opinion. That's why Tom Dolby and Drew Frist have stepped up to make a $25,000 matching grant challenge to the Courage community so we can fight back together against the right-wing's framing of this trial, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. But we need your help now to make the match in the next 48 hours. Click here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford. DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecision

Thank you for all you have done to make today's victory possible. With your ongoing support, full equality will eventually be the law of the land.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign Institute 

Courage Campaign Institute is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in the Courage Campaign Institute, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.

To power our campaign to defend the Prop 8 decision, please chip in what you can today: