What can we expect from a Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling?

>> let's get right to our panel now pop toure is a colleague of mine and a host of cycle." karen finney and michelle cottle. karen , if i might begin to you, let's start with the breaking news. i want to start with your reaction to news this hour the supreme court will rule on california's gay marriage ban and the defense of marriage act . should same-sex marriage advocates, karen , be nervous or pleased about this?

>> i hope that history will show they should be pleased and that this will be the day that, you know, this process where in the same way that loving v. virginia opened up rights for people like my parents to get married, this will be the beginning of the decision where we recognize that same-sex couples should enjoy the same rights and benefits of marriage. i hope it is the start of what is the american journey for expanding rights of every american.

>> given the current composition of the court, i am nervous. i do not yet share karen 's optimism. i'm concerned the court will move to take away the rights of gay people to get married and let states block it where they want to. i think we would need to focus on two people. where does justice kennedy go? and he's being interested in individual liberty . perhaps he will vote with the liberals. and i also look optimistically at justice roberts who in the aca decision shows us he cares about the court's legacy. he doesn't want to be part of a decision that later people look book on and say he was part of taking away people's liberty. right now i am not optimistic about what this court will do.

>> we've had one optimistic, one pessimistic. michelle , don't i dare sit on the fence.

>> no, no. i'm off the fence. okay. i will say i agree that the court's composition should make some people nervous but i think the timing, they just had gay marriage wins at the ballot box and there has been a sea change among the electorate on this issue and it would be a little bit troublesome for the court to then at this point step in and say, no, no, we know the country is moving in this direction but we're going to stop you.

>> indeed, michelle , you have actually written yourself that the president's base in a second term wants the repeal of the defense of marriage act . you've written that yourself.

>> they think it's time, and they think that they've had enough wins and the kind of wind is at their back that such is a good time to move forward on this.

>> karen , if we can spich topics, this week dana perino told a fox news panel that women should, and i'm quoting her, make better choices to avoid being victims of domestic vie violen violence. on thursday with the same panel she limited her discussion to just talking about domestic violence . what did you think when you heard those comments?

>> well, a couple thoughts. obviously, i do not in any way shape, or form blame women , but the piece that i thought was interesting was that the panel itself kind of moved on from what was i think an important point she was making and then i think actually i heard s.e. make some of the same points earlier this week on "the cycle." we went right to the gun control issue and i think there are very serious issues about women and domestic violence . you have the violence against women act , reauthorization sitting right now in congress recognizing this is a serious issue. i would have a slightly different take on what she was saying, and that is i would like to see us find more ways to empower young women . we know domestic violence among young women is going up, to make better choices. to recognize bad patterns of behavior from the men they're involved with or the women they're involved with frankly because this isn't just a heterosexual problem.

>> of course.

>> to be able to make better decisions and say this behavior is dangerous and i need to love myself enough to walk away from this. i would like to see us be able to empower women to make those kinds of choices.

>> toure , there's a law waiting, as karen mentions, called the violence against women act . for decades it's been not a controversial issue. it's passed, the senate passed it again, but republicans in the house refuse to pass it. now, in the light of what karen just said and what's happened this week, can you explain why republicans would oppose the passage?

>> well, i mean, first of all, i'm glad to see unlike yourself, karen finney is out watching msnbc's "the cycle" which airs at 3:00 every day on this network.

>> your contribution has now ended. sorry, i warned you before so that's it. you're going to come here and self-promote, it's finished, michelle , let me put the question to you, how do republicans in the house justify in a week like this not passing the violence against women act ?

>> you know, there are always ways that they can wiggle out of this thing. there are aspects of it they don't like. they don't like it applying to this group or that group or same-sex couples or just all kinds of ways they can say we're not really against violence against women but in this particular case it's the details they don't like. that's how they justify it but i think as a pr matter it's tougher.

>> okay. i'm going to allow you to come in again toure , but if you could speak about "the cycle" you will be removed.

>> about what?

>> this fox segment we mentioned earlier discussed the issue of guns. the majority seems to think, yes, we need more guns, but aren't we seeing women and minorities paying the price for gun culture ?

>> yes, absolutely. the gun control discussion argument meme in america has completely defeated. so suggest we need to ban handguns or move away from the massive apts of guns we have in this country is to sound like a loon, a crazy person, but surely more guns is not the answer in the current place where we are, where schools, theaters, family, homes get shot up all the time. we cannot continue to live in this situation, and, you know, without violating your rules, i had to live through somebody saying that it was not the gun that hurt jovan belcher's girlfriend but it was domestic violence . guns escalate anger and escalate situations. they are the most efficient killing machines we have. yes, there are other things that we use to kill, but bob costas and for once jason whitlock was absolutely right to say allowing this gun culture is problematic for all of us. when you have a gun, you are more likely to get shot. you're not more likely to shoot an intruder. and how many of these instances do we have to live through before we say enough. i'm going to let you get in, karen , but every time we have this big sort of thing happen like aurora or jovan belcher, whatever.

>> virginia tech .

>> we could go on and on. we say now is not the time. that is the gun rights group saying let's tamp this down because this is our worst moment, this is our worst fear of the irresponsible gun owner using it in the wrong way. that is exactly the time to say we must do something.

>> okay. karen ?

>> i would just say it is, and that is true, but let's not disconnect that from this issue of domestic violence and assault on women and the republicans in congress who essentially are sending a message that says it's okay to beat up certain kinds of women . native american women , women who are in this country illegally. they don't like some of the particulars in this legislation that addresses real problems. toure , as i have heard you talk about this earlier this week, i agree with the gun control piece, but i think we do a disservice to our culture and our society when we don't see that all of this is connected.

>> michelle , you have the last word.

>> well, i think whatever people are talking about with the gun culture here, you're going to have a hard sell getting anybody to talk about this in the political sphere. you can't get democratic politicians out there during the campaign. nobody was rushing to talk about this. it is still fairly toxic.

>> it is tragically so. toure , karen finney , and michelle cottle, thank you all so much.