Halleluyah: The highest court in Massachusetts declared in an opinion issued today that only full marriage rights for gay couples - not just civil unions would comply with the state's constitution, clearing the way for same-sex marriages to begin taking place by mid-May. It would make Massachusetts the first state in the United States to uphold same-sex marriages. The court's ruling was issued in response to a state Senate question about whether civil unions of the kind permitted in Vermont would meet the requirements of a 4-3 decision by the Massachusetts court last November that gay couples had the right to marry. ...Asked if Vermont-style civil unions would be sufficient, the opinion stated: 'The answer is `No.'