Massachusetts lawmakers postpone marriage amendment

BOSTON, Mass. — A vote in the Massachusetts legislature on a proposed constitutional marriage amendment has been postponed until at least July in order to give the state’s highest court time to rule on whether the amendment itself is constitutional, The Republican newspaper in Massachusetts reported. Senate President Robert E. Travaglini, who presides over constitutional conventions, announced the delay May 9. The amendment already has collected 124,000 signatures — twice the number required — and now must win the approval of at least 25 percent of state legislators in two consecutive sessions before it is placed on the 2008 ballot.

The Massachusetts high court heard arguments May 4 in a lawsuit by homosexual activists against the amendment. The high court issued its decision legalizing “gay marriage” in 2003.

Meanwhile, a new telephone poll of 400 registered Massachusetts voters shows that 75 percent of voters say that voters, and not the courts, should decide “the definition of marriage in Massachusetts.” Nineteen percent side with the courts. The poll was conducted May 3–4 by State House News Service for VoteOnMarriage.org. (TAB)