Washington ? The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to the only state that allows gay marriages, declining to hear an appeal aimed at overturning the Massachusetts law that prompted a national debate on the legality and morality of same-sex unions.

The decision ended the legal fight over a 4-3 Massachusetts high court ruling last November giving gay couples the right to marry. But both sides say the U.S. Supreme Court’s unwillingness to intervene means there will be more fights in courts and legislatures around the country.

President Bush has promised to make passage of an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment a priority in his second term.

“Activist judges are seeking to redefine marriage for the rest of society, and the people’s voice is not being heard in this process,” said presidential spokesman Scott McClellan. “That’s why the president is committed to moving forward with Congress on a constitutional amendment that would protect the sanctity of marriage.”

Lambda and other gay-rights groups were heartened that the Supreme Court let the ruling of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court stand. In the past year, at least 3,000 gay Massachusetts couples have wed.

“The bottom line is nobody is being harmed by the Massachusetts state law treating all couples equally,” said David Buckel, Lambda’s legal marriage project director.

Lambda currently is suing in four states — California, New Jersey, New York and Washington — on behalf of same-sex couples seeking marriage.

Liberty Counsel, the Florida-based conservative group that filed the challenge to the Massachusetts law, argued the state Supreme Court ruling violated the U.S. Constitution because state judges had made a decision more properly decided by elected legislatures.

The high court rejected the appeal without comment.