From the Boston Globe yesterday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has certified the ballot question regarding gay marriage. Gay marriage supporters had filed the suit contending State Attorney General Thomas Reilly had violated a constitutional provision that “blocks citizen-generated questions seeking the reversal of a judicial decision”. That type of provision certainly does explain why the State Supreme Court thought it was above the will of the people in issuing a judicial fiat mandating gay marriage.
Ray Flynn, former Boston mayor and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, was one of the first signers of the petition to place the amendment on the ballot. On Monday, he urged the Legislature to “give the people of Massachusetts the opportunity to vote on this important political issue.”
One must believe that is the best possible outcome for this situation. Of course, even if this should go to the people on the 2008 ballot, I think it will be interesting to see which way it goes. As a friend in college told me, there are two parts of Massachusetts – those east and west of I495. Personally, I think the dividing line is somewhat further east, but he lived there and it was his line so I’ll leave it as is. For now, we sit, wait and pray.
