Boston, Mass., May 13, 2004 / 22:00 pm
An attempt to block legal same-sex marriages from taking place in Massachusetts next week failed when a federal judge rejected arguments presented in court by groups in favor of maintaining traditional marriage.
The Catholic Action League joined the Liberty Counsel, 11 state legislators and a number of conservative groups in presenting a petition to U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro Wednesday.
The groups argued that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overstepped its authority when it ruled in November that same-sex marriage should be legal in the state.
However, the federal judge said yesterday that the Massachusetts high court acted within its authority in interpreting the state’s Constitution.