Reuters reports: The New Hampshire legislature in a surprise move passed a same-sex marriage bill. The House of Delegates had passed the marriage bill earlier in the week, but it was assumed that the bill would fail in the Senate which had strong opposition to the measure. However, votes were gained from opposing senators when additional amendments were added last minute, which permitted clergy to decline to perform same-sex marriages, allowed couples to choose between marriage certificates with "bride" and "groom" or "spouse," and explicitly forbade polygamy and group marriage, among other things. It is unknown if the Governor will veto this bill. While he is a Democrat, he has voiced opposition to the bill. The bill still needs to go back to the lower House in order for the differences between the house and senate versions to be reconciled. We will likely hear more developments on this story in the days to come.

This marks the second time in a new trend for state legislatures to enact same-sex marriage laws, instead of these rights become achieved through Court rulings, as were accomplished in Massachusetts, California, and Iowa.