You may get your Chief Justice

But today liberals got two more victories on the state level - a Sacramento County judge declared the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional (in keeping with the 2002 US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling) AND the Massachusetts legislature voted down an anti-equal marriage constitutional amendment 157 to 39:

Indeed, Brian P. Lees, a Republican who is the State Senate minority leader and co-sponsored the original amendment, which received preliminary approval from the Legislature in March 2004, said he had decided to vote against it today.

"The state of affairs in March 2004 was much different from September 2005," Mr. Lees said today, noting that gay marriage became legal in May 2004, two months after the first vote. "Today, gay marriage is the law of the land" and voting for the amendment would mean "taking action against our friends and neighbors who today are currently enjoying the benefits of marriage."

Saying he had heard from over 7,000 constituents, most against the amendment, Mr. Lees added, "gay marriage has begun and life has not changed for the citizens of the commonwealth, with the exception of those who can now marry who could not before."