Landmark Ruling on Gay Marriage ; Massachusetts High Court Rules That Same-Sex Marriage Is a Constitutional Right and Tells the Legislature to Resolve the Issue

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The landmark decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Tuesday went further than any court yet toward legalizing gay marriage in the United States.

But couples eager to make their union official can't start lining up at the courthouse Wednesday. The tribunal stopped short of ordering the state to start issuing marriage licenses. Instead, it ruled the state's denial of gay marriage unconstitutional - and gave the legislature 180 days to resolve the issue. This marks the first time a high court has ruled that civil marriage between a same-sex couple is a state constitutional right.

The ruling means that the cultural divide over one of the most contentious …