An Oregon judge has ordered the country's last jurisdiction in the country issuing gay marriage licenses to stop doing so.

The Multnomah County circuit judge ordered the county to stop, pending a state supreme court ruling on the issue.

Portland is in Multnomah County.

The judge said he thinks the Oregon constitution allows either a civil union or marriage for gay couples. But, he said, the state's highest court must rule on the issue.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE? Survey: Allow Gay Marriage? FROM OUR PARTNERS Government: Is It Gay-Friendly? Retirement: Issues For Gay Couples Who: Really Benefits From Benefits? Business: Deals Await Couples

The ruling came in a lawsuit that includes all the arguments over same-sex unions. It's intended to yield a quick ruling from the Oregon Supreme Court.

Multnomah started giving out the licenses March 3, following the lead of the city of San Francisco, which gave licenses to thousands of couples.

Massachusetts is scheduled to begin approving such licenses on May 17, after a high court ruling there that the state cannot discriminate against homosexual couples when giving marriage licenses under the Massachusetts Constitution.

That ruling sparked a national debate, including President George W. Bush's call for a federal amendment defining marriage.

Several states are now considering amendments, including Massachusetts, where language was approved by the Legislature. People in the state, including the Gov. Mitt Romney, are fighting to have the court ruling requiring the marriages stayed until the people can vote, probably in 2006.

In California Tuesday, a committee in the state Assembly approved a bill that would prohibit the state from preventing gay couples from marrying. It now heads for the finance committee, television station KCRA reported.