Supreme Court Rules Gay Marriage Amendment Will Stay On Ballot

The proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in Arkansas has survived a court challenge and appears headed for the November second ballot. The state Supreme Court today rejected arguments that the proposal didn`t fully explain limits it would place on marriage-type unions. The measure -- quote -- "marriage consists only of the union of one man and one woman." It would bar the state from recognizing marital unions from other states if they did not meet the definition. But the proposal includes an exemption for common-law marriages from other states as long as they are between a man and a woman. The American Civil Liberties Union claimed the proposal was unconstitutionally vague. The court ruled five-to-two to put the measure before voters. ------ Backers of the amendment gathered 200-thousand signatures -- well more than double the number it needed to get the measure on the ballot. Arkansas Marriage Amendment Committee president Jerry Cox says the court did the right thing in letting voters decide the issue. There was no immediate comment from the ACLU or the attorney general`s office, which represented Secretary of State Charlie Daniels before the state Supreme Court two weeks ago. Daniels is the state`s chief elections director and his office certified the proposed amendment for the ballot.