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why?BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) -- The highest court in Massachusetts said it would issue Tuesday its long-awaited ruling on whether gays and lesbians can marry, a move that could make the state the first to legalize same-sex marriages.

The Supreme Judicial Court said on its Web site that it would issue a ruling at 10 a.m. EST in the case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. The lawsuit was

brought by several gay and lesbian couples seeking the right to marry in Massachusetts.

Gay marriages are forbidden in the United States, although one state, Vermont, allows same-sex civil unions. Earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state sodomy laws, a move some conservatives said could open the door to gay marriage. That decision and Canadian steps taken to legalize gay marriages earlier this year have intensified the debate.

Legal experts have said it is possible the Massachusetts court will reject the claim outright, openly declaring that same-sex marr...