“Supreme Judicial Court held today that “barring an individual from the protections, benefits, and
obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the
Massachusetts Constitution.” The court stayed the entry of judgment for 180 days “to permit the Legislature to take such action as it may deem appropriate in light of this opinion.” unofficial synopsis at www.findlaw.com
The MA Supreme Judicial Court did, in fact, order or - as they put it - “permit[ed]” the state’s legislature to do whatever it took to make gay marriage legal in the Commonwealth. It was not the legislature and it was not the executive. It was the judicial.
The case was HILLARY GOODRIDGE & others vs. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH & another. 440 Mass. 309; March 4, 2003 - November 18, 2003; Suffolk County.
The legislature rewrote the law; the governor enforced it.
My understanding is that the legislature did not rewrite the law. The legislature let the 180 days go by. And without a law on the books to enforce, Romney violated existing law, put his power of check and balances squarely behind the judiciary instead of the legislative and personally ushered in gay marriage.
Romney did more for gay marriage nationwide as governor of Mass than Obama has done as President.
I don’t think we are going to have to worry about whether Romney will be worse than Obama. Romney is planning to try to portray Mormonism as a strength at the convention.