Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
The issue is emphatically NOT addressed in the U.S. Constitution, therefore the 10th ammendment notes that it is up to each state to decide such things for itself in accordance with its laws, so long as those laws/decisions do not contravene the rights of another U.S. citizen. Since extending "marriage" to include your same-sex couple does not impinge on my rights directly (doesn't make my marriage any less meaningful/beneficial), states may decide to make such unions legal.

Where it will get interesting is the "full faith and credence" clause to the U.S. Constitution. I suspect that -- absent some compelling data that same-sex marriage somehow debases and harms traditional marrriage (thus constituing a impingement of another's rights) -- ALL states will be required to treat such marriages as legal unions with all rights, duties, and privileges thereunto apertaining EVEN if the state in question opposes such unions and does not allow them to be performed in that state.
In this case, the interstate commerce clause actually has some teeth though. There are too many legal/monetary benefits and implications with "marriage" to deal with these unions state by state. A generic "civil union" compliance law at the federal level might cover it, each state can comply with it's rules and has flexibility, but must accept other states' contracts regardless of the type of union.