Vermont Legislature OKs Gay Marriage

By John Dillon

Published April 7, 2009 at 4:00 PM EDT

Vermont's Legislature overruled Republican Gov. Jim Douglas' veto and became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage.

The Senate voted 23-5 and the House 100-49 to get the two-thirds needed in each chamber for a veto override. Vermont is not the first state to legalize gay marriage without being prompted by a court order.

Nine years ago, it was the first state in the nation to approve civil unions.

John Dillon reports for Vermont Public Radio.

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John Dillon

A veteran Vermont reporter, John joined VPR in 2001. Previously, John was a staff writer for the Sunday Times Argus and the Sunday Rutland Herald, responsible for breaking stories and in-depth features on local issues. He has also served as Communications Director for the Vermont Health Care Authority and Bureau Chief for UPI in Montpelier. John was honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2007 for his reporting on VPR. He was the lead reporter for a VPR series on climate change that in 2008 won a national Edward R. Murrow award for continuing coverage. In 2009, John's coverage of an asbestos mine in northern Vermont was recognized with a regional investigative reporting award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

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