[JURIST] CTV News is reporting that the Supreme Court of Canada has approved a proposed federal law that would make same-sex marriage legal across Canada. Lower courts in six Canadian provinces and one territory have already ruled that the traditional legal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In its ruling delivered just a few minutes ago, the high court concluded that the federal government has the right to legalize same-sex marriage but declined to rule on the question of whether the traditional definition of marriage was constitutional or not under the Charter. The Canadian Department of Justice has more on the same-sex marriage reference. CTV News has more.

9:56 AM ET – The Canadian Supreme Court's judgment is now online here. In making its decision, the high court also noted that "the guarantee of religious freedom in s. 2(a) of the Charter is broad enough to protect religious officials from being compelled by the state to perform civil or religious same-sex marriages that are contrary to their religious beliefs."