Same-sex marriage.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

In May, the California Supreme Court issued a 4-3 decision declaring that the state ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, opening the door for gay nuptials in California.

Even before the decision was announced, opponents had gathered more than 1 million signatures to put a DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) initiative on the ballot this fall. If passed, marriage in California would again be defined as between one man and one woman, invalidating the court's decision. The initiative is expected to be certified later this year.

Constitutional amendments defining marriage also are expected to be on the ballot in Arizona and Florida in November. Typically, these amendments pass with wide margins, but in 2006, Arizona became the first state to defeat the issue.

Twenty-six states have passed constitutional amendments defining marriage and of these, over half...