She could pass the issue off to the attorney general. I hope she will be more assertive, however, because if she is, I believe she will discover that she has tapped into a reservoir of popular support for reaffirming marriage. The role of Attorney General Reilly, however, is at least as important. The other side is gambling that he will put on a weak case since he has helped them on other issues. But I don't think you can assume what the attorney general will do.
Marriage is different.
The house changed hands, and now has a strongly pro-traditional marriage majority. The senate and governor, however, still support civil unions. Everyone is locked into their positions until the next round of elections in 2002. Expect a lot of positioning next year during the 2002 legislative session. We won't know the real answer to the question, though, until the first Tuesday of November in 2002.