A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel heard oral arguments on Perry v. Brown. The case involves U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that the voter-approved Proposition 8 ban against same-sex marriage in California should be thrown out because he is gay. Judge Walker retired from the bench in February 2011, revealing later that he was gay and in a long-term relationship. Judge Walker in 2010 ruled that the ban against same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This hearing also reviewed Judge James Ware's ruling that Judge Walker had "no duty to disclose details of his private life." Judge Ware was Judge Walker's successor.