Washington ( CNN ) -- The Supreme Court has again indefinitely blocked plans to disseminate video of an important federal court case involving same-sex marriage in California . The justices in an unsigned order Wednesday prevented any distribution of the live video stream outside the San Francisco , California , courthouse where the case is being heard , and any real-time or delayed posting on the Internet . In a trial that began Monday , a federal judge in San Francisco will decide whether the state 's Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage is constitutional . California voters approved the measure in November 2008 , prompting an appeal by several homosexual couples . As part of a pilot program , the judge had agreed to allow video of the trial to be sent live to other rooms within the courthouse and to five other federal courthouses , and to be posted several hours later on the popular video site YouTube.com . Opponents of same-sex marriage had asked the Supreme Court to intervene , saying witness testimony could be affected if cameras were present . It is extremely rare for a federal trial to be televised to the broader public . The Supreme Court 's latest order allows distribution only to designated `` overflow '' rooms in the San Francisco courthouse , where people who want to view the trial but are unable to fit into the courtroom can watch the proceedings on closed-circuit television . A majority of Supreme Court justices concluded expanded broadcast should not permitted because , they wrote , `` It appears the courts below did not follow the appropriate procedures set forth in federal law before changing their rules to allow such broadcasting . '' There has been much internal debate in federal courts around the country about the televised experiment , with several judges and administrators privately expressing concern that it could eventually lead to the entire judiciary being televised , including the Supreme Court . In dissent to the ruling , Justice Stephen Breyer and three liberal colleagues complained the public would be deprived of watching `` a nonjury civil case of great public interest to five other federal courthouses located in Seattle [ Washington ] , Pasadena [ California ] , Portland [ Oregon ] , San Francisco [ California ] , and Brooklyn [ New York ] . '' He was supported by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg , John Paul Stevens and Sonia Sotomayor . Breyer said the Supreme Court traditionally has stayed out of what he called another court 's administrative discretion on such matters , saying , `` I believe this court should adhere to its institutional competence , its historical practice , and its governing precedent -- all of which counsel against the issuance of this stay . '' The case is Hollingsworth v. Perry ( 09A648 ) .
Lower court had OK 'd posting videos of trial on Internet . Supreme Court says no , but cameras can send trial to overflow rooms . Four members of court dissent , led by Justice Stephen Breyer .