Below The Beltway

Today, Vermont became the first state to legalize gay marriage via legislation rather than through the judiciary:

Vt. House and Senate have voted to override the governor’s veto of the same-sex marriage bill– legalizing gay marriage in Vermont.

The Vt. Senate voted to override the governor’s veto of the same-sex marriage bill. This morning, the Senate voted 23 to 5 to override that veto. Two senators were absent and Washington County Republican Bill Doyle who had initially supported same sex, this time voted to sustain the veto.

The Vt. House voted around 11 a.m. to override the veto. The vote was 100-49. 100 votes were needed. Rep. Sonny Audette of South Burlington did not vote. It wasn’t clear whether he intended to vote to override. Audette opposed gay marriage but also opposed the governor’s early announcement of a veto as “interference.”

Vermont is now the fourth state to permit same-sex marriage, but the first to do so with a legislature’s approval. Approval of gay marriage in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa came from the courts.

The House override is significant in that, as I noted Friday, the bill had fallen five votes short of the 100 needed for an override on it’s initial approval by the House. Apparently, the Governor’s knee-jerk veto caused several members of the Vermont House to change their minds.

This is a significant development if only because it marks the first time that marriage equality has won on the legislative level. In the past, California’s legislature had approved a gay marriage bill twice only to see it vetoed by Governor Schwarzeneger. This could be the beginning of a new trend.