NATION IN BRIEF

Rights Activists Sue to Protect Same-Sex Marriage in Mass.

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BOSTON -- Gay-rights activists sued on Tuesday to block a proposed constitutional amendment that would end same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

The lawsuit, filed by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), challenges a September ruling by state Attorney General Tom Reilly (D) that found the amendment drive was legal. That ruling allowed backers of the amendment to begin collecting signatures. They gathered more than 120,000; 65,000 were needed to put the measure on the 2008 ballot.

Gary Buseck, GLAD legal director, said the Massachusetts Constitution bars any citizen-initiated amendment that "relates to the reversal of a judicial decision." Reilly should have blocked the question from going forward on those grounds, he said.

The proposed amendment is designed "squarely and solely" to reverse the landmark 2003 decision by Massachusetts's high court that legalized same-sex marriage, Buseck said.

David Guarino, a Reilly spokesman, defended the decision: "This proposal isn't a reversal of a judicial decision, but an effort to change the constitution going forward."

Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, one of the prime backers of the amendment, said the proposed amendment does not specifically try to reverse the court ruling, but rather seeks to spell out the legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the first since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that patients who use the drug can still be prosecuted under federal law. The House overrode a veto by Gov. Donald Carcieri (R), 59 to 13, allowing people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS to grow as many as 12 marijuana plants or buy 2.5 ounces of the drug to relieve their symptoms. Federal law prohibits any use of marijuana, but Maine, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington allow it to be grown and used for medicinal purposes.

AUGUSTA, Maine -- A Democratic state legislator has quit the party, leaving the Maine House evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Rep. Barbara Merrill's decision to become an independent will give the two major parties 73 seats each when the 2006 session opens Wednesday.

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. -- Most rivers and streams throughout California have receded below flood stage following a pair of severe storms, allowing residents and officials to clean up and assess the damage. As Northern California recovered, heavy rain followed by snow turned to ice on highways across northern Nevada, creating hazardous driving conditions and dozens of accidents.

SAYREVILLE, N.J. -- Four teenagers stole 27 statues depicting the baby Jesus from Nativity scenes outside churches and houses and planned to burn them, police said. Two of the suspects, who ranged in age from 15 to 19, said they acted out of boredom, Detective Ken Kelly said. "They told us, 'We were going to have a baby Jesus burning party.' "

-- From News Services