In a decision that will likely reverberate in legal and political circles for a long time, Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court ruled this morning that the state cannot deny gays and lesbians the right to marry.
The 4-3 ruling said the state “failed to identify any constitutionally adequate reason for denying civil marriage to same-sex couples.”
The court did not immediately allow marriage licenses to be issued to the gay couples who filed the lawsuit, and instead ordered the state legislature 180 days to find a solution. This follows a similar path to Vermont, which created its civil unions law after being ordered to do so by a state court.
As a matter of principle, respect, and compassion, this is an excellent ruling and a landmark day for civil rights. As far as I’m concerned, this is a no-brainer. I’ve never really understood the rationale opposing gay marriage in the first place.
As a matter of politics, however, we’re in a for a bumpy ride. Gay marriage has reached the level of reproductive choice in the culture war and today’s court ruling will fuel the fire. Expect the nation’s loudest conservatives to make a series of immediate demands, including a constitutional amendment, impeachment of judges, etc.
Nevertheless, today is a good day. For more background on the case, be sure to check this excellent Boston Globe summary, which I found via the fine folks at naw.