A federal trial to determine whether the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from banning gay marriage has resumed. Nancy Cott, a U.S. history professor at Harvard, started Tuesday’s proceedings by taking the witness stand for a second day. She testified that the historic definition of marriage in the United States involves the consent of two people who enter into the arrangement out of love and a commitment to creating a stable household. She says same-sex marriages easily meet that definition. On Monday, the plaintiffs — two California same-sexcouples — took the stand with emotional testimony about being unable to marry because of the state’s gay marriage ban.

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