Boston Could ban future gay marriages

BOSTON - The same court that made Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriage ruled Monday that a proposal for a constitutional amendment that could ban future gay marriages can move forward.
The ruling came on a lawsuit brought by gay-rights supporters who argued that Attorney General Tom Reilly was wrong to certify the question because the state's constitution bars any citizen-initiated amendment that seeks to reverse a judicial ruling.
The Supreme Judicial Court rejected that argument, paving the way for the state Legislature to take up the question during a constitutional convention Wednesday. The question would have to be approved by two consecutive legislative sessions before it could be placed on the 2008 ballot. Supporters need to win the votes of 50 lawmakers _ 25 percent of the Legislature _ in both sessions.
The same court, in a landmark 2003 ruling, cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin in Massachusetts in May 2004. More than 8,000 gay and lesbian couples have married.