Gov. Forces Mass. Gay Marriage Issue

BOSTON, MA -- Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney filed a request with the state's Supreme Judicial Court Friday to force a proposed anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment onto the state's 2008 ballot if the Legislature fails to vote on it, AP reports.

The Republican governor, who is a fierce opponent of gay marriage, has said the state Constitution requires legislators to vote on whether the measure should go on the ballot. If they don't vote on the measure, the court can order the secretary of state to put it on the 2008 ballot, Romney argues.

Opponents of the question, including powerful House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, feared they didn't have the 151 votes needed to kill the measure and instead called for a vote to recess the joint House-Senate session until Jan. 2. Lawmakers approved the recess vote by 109-87.

Since Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriage in the US, more than 8,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot. The ballot measure would ban future gay marriages in Massachusetts but would not annul existing ones.