JURIST - Paper Chase: Massachusetts same-sex marriages prompt reactions from President, state AGs

Reacting to the first state-authorized same-sex marriages that began in Massachusetts this morning (previously reported on JURIST's Paper Chase), President Bush Monday renewed his call for a Constitutional amendment banning the practice. Read his written statement here. Attorneys General of nearby states have meanwhile been issuing their own statements on the legality of same-sex marriages within their jurisdictions and/or how they will treat Massachusetts same-sex marriage licenses. Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal said Monday that it was illegal for same-sex couples to marry in that state, but refused to say whether Connecticut would recognize or treat out-of-state gay marriages. Read his legal opinion. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch issued another opinion, however, indicating that same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts will be recognized there. AP has the more. In New York, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has indicated that same-sex marriages in Massachusetts would be recognized, drawing criticism from Governor Pataki. The New York Daily News has more.