In 1984, he married Marshall, who in 1996 was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

WSJ: Pulitzer Prize-winner Anthony Lewis dies at 85

His wife, Margaret Marshall, the former chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, confirmed his death from complications from heart and renal failure.

WSJ: Pulitzer Prize-winner Anthony Lewis dies at 85

"In Massachusetts, four judges on the state's highest court have ordered the issuance of marriage licenses to applicants of the same gender, " the president said, referring to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in 2003 that denial of marriage rights to gays and lesbians violated their civil rights.

CNN: Bush pushes same-sex marriage ban

The push to amend state constitutions to ban same-sex marriage gained steam in May, after gay men and lesbians were granted the right to marry in Massachusetts, thanks to the state's Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled that laws restricting marriage to heterosexuals violated the state constitution.

CNN: Same-sex marriage bans?winning on state ballots

This week the state's Supreme Judicial Court rejected a plea filed by Ms Murphy on behalf of all the pregnant women in Massachusetts, asking it to overturn Judge Nasif's ruling.

ECONOMIST: Rights of the unborn