California's same-sex marriage ban endured its latest legal test Tuesday as the state's high court grilled attorneys on whether Proposition 8's backers have legal authority to appeal a federal ruling that overturned the voter-approved measure.

The tenor of the justices' questioning during the more than hour-long hearing often leaned in favor of arguments by backers of the ban, who argue that the state Constitution gives ballot initiative proponents legal authority to defend their measures in court.

On that critical question, several justices noted that the California Supreme Court always has, as a matter of practice if not written policy, allowed the sponsors of ballot questions to appear before it when their measures were challenged.

"Never in any recorded (case) have proponents been denied the right to advance their interests," Associate Justice Kathryn Werdegar noted during the closely watched arguments. "The present state of California law is we allow liberal intervention."

The Supreme Court is examining the scope of the power afforded the official backers of ballot initiatives at the request of a federal appeals court that is reviewing a federal judge's year-old ruling that Proposition 8 violates the constitutional rights of same-sex couples.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has expressed doubts about the ability of Proposition 8's sponsors to challenge the lower court ruling absent the involvement of California's governor or attorney general, both of whom agreed the ban was unconstitutional and refused to appeal.

Honey that contains traces of pollen from genetically modified crops needs special authorization before it can be sold in Europe, the European Union's top court said Tuesday, in a judgment that could have widespread consequences on the bloc's policy on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

The ruling from the European Court of Justice came after several Bavarian beekeepers demanded compensation from their government for honey and food supplements that contained traces of pollen from genetically modified maize.

The beekeepers had their hives close to fields where the Bavarian government was growing Monsanto's MON 810 maize for research purposes.

The EU has strict guidelines on authorizing and informing consumers about foods containing GMOs — a policy that has caused problems for producers of genetically modified seeds such as U.S.-based Monsanto Co. that are used to much laxer rules in other parts of the world.

Kelli Powers, a spokeswoman for Monsanto, said the company could not provide detailed comment on the ruling until the firm had a chance to read the entire judgment.

But Powers emphasized that the company's engineered corn seed has been approved as safe for human consumption.