Massachusetts has long been dodging an official vote on Gay Marriage - mostly because votes of that nature tend to pass in favor of traditional marriage. The Massachusetts Legislature has, contrary to the law, pushed off the vote for two long, and a lawsuit was brought against them in the Massachusetts Supreme court. That court has returned its verdict:
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts today ruled that the legislature would be violating the state constitution should it once again refuse to vote on the marriage amendment before its Jan. 2 recess.
“The Massachusetts high court today has affirmed what the Alliance Defense Fund attorneys noted in our Dec. 13 lawsuit: Legislators have a sworn constitutional duty to vote on the marriage amendment,” said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Brian W. Raum. “Legislators who act illegally must be held accountable. If Massachusetts legislators do not vote, they will be in clear violation of the state and federal Constitutions.”
You can find the complete details of the lawsuit here.
It remains to be seen how the Massachusetts Legislator will react to this case.
[…] Victory for Traditional Marriage in Massachusetts By david I reported earlier on the Massachusetts Legislature refusal to vote on the issue of Gay Marriage in that state. Finally after pressure from the ADF and a the State Supreme Court they have voted to place the issue on the November 2008 ballot. […]