[JURIST] Massachusetts lawmakers on Wednesday decided to postpone a vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment [DOC text] to ban same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive] until after the November election, just days after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court [official website] ruled that the same-sex marriage ban can be placed on the ballot for voter approval [JURIST report], if the legislature approves the amendment. Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage [JURIST report] in 2003, when the Supreme Judicial Court ruled [text] that same-sex couples have a right to marry under the current Massachusetts Constitution [text]. Reuters has more.

In a related development, five same-sex couples with Arizona Together [advocacy website], an opponent of the Protect Marriage Arizona initiative [PDF text; advocacy website], filed a lawsuit [press release] in Maricopa County Superior Court [official website] against the initiative Wednesday, alleging that the initiative violates state rules requiring ballot questions to be on a single subject or issue. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano [official website] indicated Wednesday that the lawsuit could potentially remove the same-sex marriage ban from the November ballot. The Arizona Republic has more.