U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions

      Current marriage amendments to US state constitutions, by type
        Constitutional amendment bans same-sex marriage, civil unions, and any marriage-like contract between unmarried persons
        Constitutional amendment bans same-sex marriage and civil unions
        Constitutional amendment bans same-sex marriage
        Constitutional amendment grants legislature authority to ban same-sex marriage
        No constitutional amendments
      The adoption of marriage amendments over time

      Many U.S. states have amendments to their state constitutions which prevent the recognition of some or all types of same-sex unions. Some prevent a state from legalizing same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, while others ban only same-sex marriage.[1] Because these amendments are enacted at the constitutional level, they can only be changed by modifying the state constitution to which they were added. As of May 2012, voters in 30 states had approved such amendments;[2][3] this total does not include Hawaii's amendment.

      Conservative activists who favor such amendments may refer to them as "defense of marriage amendments" or "marriage protection amendments." Titles vary among states; for example, Alabama's amendment is called the "Sanctity of Marriage Amendment".[4] These state amendments are different from the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment, which would ban same-sex marriage in every U.S. state, and the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

      On July 31, 2012, Perry v. Brown, a Ninth Circuit case which held that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional, was appealed to the Supreme Court.[5] There have also been several cases appealed to the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, such as Pedersen v. Office of Personnel Management. [[6]] The Supreme Court will hear the arguments against Proposition 8 on March 26, 2013, in Hollingsworth v. Perry, and the arguments against DOMA on March 27, 2013, in Windsor v. United States.

      History

      The idea of extending marriage rights to same-sex couples did not become a political issue in the United States until the 1990s. During that decade, several Western European countries legalized civil unions, and in 1993 the Supreme Court of Hawaii ruled in Baehr v. Lewin, 852 P.2d 44 (Haw. 1993), that refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples was sex-discrimination under that state's constitution.[7] In response, voters passed Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2.[8] This amendment differed from future marriage amendments in other states as it did not ban same-sex marriage itself, but merely empowered the state legislature to enact such a ban.[9] In November 1998, 69% of Hawaii voters approved the amendment, and the state legislature exercised its power to ban same-sex marriage.[9][10] Only three constitutional bans on same-sex unions (in Alaska, Nebraska, and Nevada) were proposed between 1998 and 2003.[11] All three amendments passed.[12][13][14] In Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's November 2003 decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the court legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Social and religious conservatives feared that their own state supreme courts would issue such rulings at some point in the future; in order to prevent this, they proposed additional constitutional bans on same-sex marriage.[15] The following year, eleven constitutional referenda banning same-sex unions were placed on state ballots.[16]

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      Purpose and motivation

      Constitutional bans on same-sex unions were advocated in response to the legalization of same-sex marriage in other jurisdictions, notably Canada and Massachusetts.

      Some amendments and some proposed amendments forbid a state from recognizing even non-marital civil unions and domestic partnerships, while others explicitly allow for same-sex unions that are not called "marriages".

      Such amendments have two main purposes:

      • Preventing a state's courts from interpreting their state's constitution to permit or require legalization of same-sex marriage.
      • Prevent a state's courts from recognizing same-sex marriages that were legally performed in other jurisdictions.

      Some proponents of such amendments fear that states will be forced to recognize same-sex marriages celebrated in other jurisdictions. They point to the full faith and credit clause, which requires each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of each other state. On the other hand, opponents argue that state constitutional amendments will do nothing to resolve this perceived problem. Traditionally, courts have held that a state is free to decline to recognize a marriage celebrated elsewhere if the marriage violates the state's strong public policy. (§134 of the First Restatement of Conflicts, on Marriage and Legitimacy (1934)). They argue that if the full faith and credit clause did require recognition of same-sex marriages, state constitutional amendments would be trumped by the federal constitution due to the supremacy clause.

      Conservative mobilization

      State referenda on constitutional bans of same-sex unions have been used as a "get-out-the-vote" tactic by Republicans and social conservatives.[17][18] When voters see that a particular legislative initiative appears on the ballot, they are thought to feel more motivated to turn out to vote, enhancing ballot numbers for other candidates and issues of their party. The presence of these amendments on state ballots has been credited as providing a boost to Republicans in the 2004 election, and the 2004 Ohio amendment in particular has been cited as aiding President George W. Bush's reelection campaign by motivating evangelical social conservatives in the state to go to the polls.[17][19] President George W. Bush's close political consultant, Karl Rove, has been an enthusiastic proponent and organizer of legislation banning same-sex unions.

      After the 2006 general elections some activists argued that such referenda were starting to lose their potential to mobilize conservative voters. Kevin Cathcart, director of Lambda Legal pointed to the narrow defeat of Arizona's Proposition 107, which would have rendered civil unions as well as same-sex marriage unconstitutional.[20] Nevertheless, that same election saw seven such amendments pass; these seven included an amendment in Virginia which banned civil unions as well as same-sex marriages.[21]

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      Litigation

      Nebraska is one of the states that added an amendment to its constitution to reinforce existing statutes defining marriage as only between one man and one woman. The amendment passed by a vote of 70 to 30 percent in 2000 as Nebraska Initiative Measure 416. In May 2005, in Citizens for Equal Protection v. Bruning, Judge Joseph F. Bataillon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska held that the state constitutional amendment violates the United States Constitution.[22] In July 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed his ruling, reinstated the measure, and holding that "laws limiting the state-recognized institution of marriage to heterosexual couples ... do not violate the Constitution of the United States."

      In Ohio, a suit was filed seeking to prevent a state university from according its employees domestic partner benefits.[23] The suit was dismissed on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked standing.

      In Tennessee, groups sought to keep the amendment from reaching the ballot. On April 21, 2005, a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the Tennessee Equality Project, and other plaintiffs, claiming that the proposed amendment had not been published in a timely manner between legislative sessions as the state constitution required; specifically, the suit alleged that the newspaper publication of the proposed amendment had occurred only four months prior to the legislative election in November 2004 rather than the required six. This suit was dismissed at the appellate court level in March 2006 on the grounds that the legislature's intent to put the amendment before voters in November 2006 was widely reported in the media, meeting this requirement in spirit if not in letter. This decision was in turn appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which rejected the ACLU's case in July 2006 due to lack of standing; this decision cleared the way for the amendment to appear on the November ballot.[24][25] The amendment passed.[26]

      In 2010 the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the state's marriage amendment was proper and did not violate the state constitution's "single subject" rule.[27] In 2009 the Court refused in Appling v. Doyle to strike down the state's domestic partnership registry, enacted that year, directing the case to the circuit court.[28] Current Governor Scott Walker asked in May 2011 to withdraw the state's defense of the domestic partnership registry.[29] On June 20, 2011, Dane County Judge Dan Moeser ruled that the registry does not violate the state constitution, finding that the state "does not recognize domestic partnership in a way that even remotely resembles how the state recognizes marriage".[30]

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      Variants

      Most of these amendments ban civil unions as well as same-sex marriage.[31]

      Two marriage amendments differ greatly from all others: Hawaii's and Virginia's. The former gives the Hawaii state legislature the authority to ban same-sex marriages but does not explicitly make such unions unconstitutional. Virginia's amendment not only bans same-sex marriage and civil unions, but arguably renders any state recognition of private contracts entered into by unmarried couples unconstitutional.[32]

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      States that have voted on amendments

      See List of U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions by type for a more detailed list.

      The following table shows all popular vote results on state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage, or, in the case of Hawaii, granting the legislature authority to ban same-sex marriage.

      State Initiative Ban on Date Yes Yes vote No No vote Total votes Voter turnout Electorate Final
      outcome
      Votes Percentage Votes Percentage
      Flag of Alabama.svg Alabama Amendment 774 Marriage and
      civil union
      June 6, 2006 697,591 81.2% 161,694 18.8% 859,285 25.73% 3,338,467 Yes Yes
      Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska Ballot Measure 2 Marriage November 3, 1998 152,965 68.1% 71,631 31.9% 170,596 Yes Yes
      Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona Proposition 107 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 7, 2006 721,789 48.2% 775,498 51.8% 1,496,987 38.15% 3,923,786 No No
      Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona Proposition 102 Marriage November 4, 2008 1,258,355 56.2% 980,753 43.8% 2,239,078 55.33% 2,987,451 Yes Yes
      Flag of Arkansas.svg Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 3 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 753,770 74.95% 251,914 25.04% 1,005,684 51.07% 1,969,208 Yes Yes
      Flag of California.svg California Proposition 8 Marriage November 4, 2008 7,001,084 52.24% 6,401,482 47.76% 13,743,177 61.73% 22,261,504 Yes Yes1
      Flag of Colorado.svg Colorado Amendment 43 Marriage November 7, 2006 855,126 55.02% 699,030 44.98% 1,554,156 47.13% 3,297,308 Yes Yes
      Flag of Florida.svg Florida Amendment 2 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 4, 2008 4,890,883 61.92% 3,008,026 38.08% 8,456,329 66.65% 12,687,407 Yes Yes
      Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia Constitutional Amendment 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 2,454,930 76.2% 768,716 23.8% 3,223,646 54.84% 5,878,186 Yes Yes 2
      Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2 Marriage ban
      permitted
      November 3, 1998 285,384 69.18% 117,827 28.56% 403,211 Yes Yes 3
      Flag of Idaho.svg Idaho Amendment 2 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 7, 2006 282,386 63.4% 163,384 36.6% 445,770 49.04% 908,925 Yes Yes
      Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas Proposed amendment 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      April 5, 2005 417,675 69.94% 179,432 30.06% 597,107 Yes Yes
      Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 1,222,125 74.55% 417,097 25.45% 1,639,222 53.6% 3,057,741 Yes Yes
      Flag of Louisiana.svg Louisiana Constitutional Amendment 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      September 18, 2004 619,908 77.79% 177,067 22.21% 796,975 25.04% 3,182,762 Yes Yes 4
      Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan State Proposal - 04-2 All types of same-sex unions November 2, 2004 2,698,077 58.63% 1,904,319 41.37% 4,602,396 63.36% 7,263,024 Yes Yes5
      Flag of Minnesota.svg Minnesota Amendment 1 Marriage November 6, 2012 1,399,676 47.44% 1,549,676 52.56% 2,950,780 76.11% 3,876,752 No No
      Flag of Mississippi.svg Mississippi Amendment 1 Marriage November 2, 2004 957,104 86.01% 155,648 13.99% 1,112,752 53.78% 2,068,766 Yes Yes
      Flag of Missouri.svg Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 Marriage August 3, 2004 1,055,771 70.6% 439,529 29.4% 1,495,300 35.76% 4,180,960 Yes Yes
      Flag of Montana.svg Montana Initiative 96 Marriage November 2, 2004 295,070 66.55% 148,263 33.45% 443,333 63.41% 699,114 Yes Yes
      Flag of Nebraska.svg Nebraska Initiative Measure 416 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 7, 2000 450,07 70.36% 189,555 29.64% 639,628 52.24% 1,224,178 Yes Yes 6
      Flag of Nevada.svg Nevada Question 2 Marriage November 7, 2000 412,688 69.62% 180,077 30.38% 592,765 44.03% 1,346,116 Yes Yes
      Flag of Nevada.svg Nevada Question 2 Marriage November 7, 2002 412,688 69.62% 180,077 30.38% 592,765 42.61% 1,391,100 Yes Yes
      Flag of North Carolina.svg North Carolina Amendment 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      May 8, 2012 1,317,178 61.04% 840,802 38.96% 2,157,980 34.66% 6,296,759 Yes Yes
      Flag of North Dakota.svg North Dakota Constitutional Measure 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 223,572 73.23% 81,716 26.77% 305,288 63.24% 482,722 Yes Yes
      Flag of Ohio.svg Ohio State Issue 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 3,329,335 61.71% 2,065,462 38.29% 5,394,797 64.01% 8,427,696 Yes Yes
      Flag of Oklahoma.svg Oklahoma State Question 711 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 1,075,216 75.58% 347,303 24.42% 1,422,519 56.65% 2,510,823 Yes Yes
      Flag of Oregon.svg Oregon Measure 36 Marriage November 2, 2004 1,028,546 56.63% 787,556 43.37% 1,816,102 71.19% 2,550,887 Yes Yes
      Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina Amendment 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 7, 2006 829,360 77.97% 234,316 22.03% 1,063,676 33.74% 3,152,046 Yes Yes
      Flag of South Dakota.svg South Dakota Amendment C Marriage and
      civil union
      November 7, 2006 172,305 51.83% 160,152 48.17% 332,457 57.26% 580,592 Yes Yes
      Flag of Tennessee.svg Tennessee Amendment 1 Marriage November 7, 2006 1,419,434 81.3% 327,536 18.7% 1,746,970 39.4% 4,433,921 Yes Yes
      Flag of Texas.svg Texas Proposition 2 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 8, 2005 1,723,782 76.25% 536,913 23.74% 2,260,695 17.97% 12,577,545 Yes Yes 7
      Flag of Utah.svg Utah Constitutional Amendment 3 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 2, 2004 593,297 65.86% 307,488 34.14% 900,785 57.21% 1,574,463 Yes Yes
      Flag of Virginia.svg Virginia Marshall-Newman Amendment All types of same-sex unions November 7, 2006 1,328,537 57.06% 999,687 42.94% 2,328,224 43.23% 5,385,522 Yes Yes
      Flag of Wisconsin.svg Wisconsin Referendum 1 Marriage and
      civil union
      November 7, 2006 1,264,310 59.4% 862,924 40.6% 2,127,234 52.33% 4,064,432 Yes Yes

      Notes:

      • 2 Ban declared unconstitutional on May 16, 2006, by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell, who said it violated the single-subject rule in Georgia's constitution. Governor Sonny Perdue said he was disappointed by the decision, which he said ran contrary to the voice of Georgia voters. The following day, the ruling was appealed to the Supreme Court of Georgia. On July 6, 2006 the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the ban did not violate the single-subject rule.[38][39]
      • 3 Does not explicitly define marriage, but allows the legislature to define marriage.
      • 4 On October 6, 2004, a Louisiana district judge tossed out the approved amendment saying it addressed two subjects: marriage and civil unions. Shortly after, the Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously overturned that ruling and found the amendment valid.[40]
      • 5 On May 7, 2008 the Michigan Supreme Court held that the amendment bans not only same-sex marriage and civil unions, but also public employee domestic partnership benefits.[41]
      • 6 Ban declared unconstitutional by Judge Joseph Bataillon, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.[42] The ruling was appealed to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis.[43] That Court issued a ruling that re-instated the ban, declaring in part that it was a legitimate state interest.[44][dead link]
      • 7 On October 2, 2009, a Texas district court judge in the case of In Re Marriage of J.B. and H.B. granted a divorce to two men married in Massachusetts, ruling unconstitutional the state's same-sex marriage ban.[45] On August 31, 2010, the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas reversed the lower court, ruling, among other things, that the same-sex marriage ban does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.[46][47] On January 7, 2011, the Third Court of Appeals in Austin in the case of State of Texas v. Angelique S. Naylor and Sabina Daly rejected, on procedural grounds, the Texas attorney general's appeal of a divorce granted by a lower court to a same-sex couple married in Massachusetts.[48] Both cases are pending before the Texas Supreme Court.[49][50][51]

      Maps

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      References

      1. ^ Virginia's amendment also bans private contracts that are marital in nature, while Hawaiʻi's amendment merely gives the state the power to ban same-sex marriage.
      2. ^ "Amendment One: How it changes North Carolina law". globalpost.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012. 
      3. ^ "A Contentious Debate: Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.". Pew Forum. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      4. ^ "Amendment 774 Ratified", Alabama State Legislature. Accessed 6 January 2006.
      5. ^ "[1]", American Foundation for Equal Rights.
      6. ^ "[www.huffingtonpost.com/.../doma-ruled-unconstitutional_b_1725627.html]", The Huffington Post.
      7. ^ "Special Report: 'I do'" Honolulu Star-Bulletin January 22, 1997
      8. ^ "Gay Marriage Timeline". Pew Forum. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      9. ^ a b "Homosexual (same-sex) marriages in Hawaii" Robinson, B.A. Religious Tolerance. 1997-JUL-11, updated 2001-DEC-2
      10. ^ "Same-sex marriage ballot measures: Hawaii gives legislature power to ban same-sex marriage" AllPolitics. CNN. November 3, 1998
      11. ^ In Alaska, a same-sex couple had sued for marriage rights, and had seen several rulings in their favor; the Alaska ban arose in an effort to prevent the ruling from taking effect. See "Homosexual (same-sex) marriage in Alaska" Robinson, B.A. Religioustolerance.org. 2002. (last update 2005-APR-21). accessed 3 November 2006.
      12. ^ "Same-sex marriage in Alaska". Religious Tolerance. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      13. ^ Jody Brown and Bill Fancher, AgapePress (2005-05-15). "Family Advocates: Judicial Activism Runs Amok in Nebraska - Jody Brown and Bill Fancher". Crosswalk. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      14. ^ Vogel, Ed (February 23, 2011). "Legal challenge to Nevada's anti-gay marriage amendment not expected". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 
      15. ^ Masci, David (2008-04-10). "An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate - Pew Research Center". Pew Research. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      16. ^ "Election 2004 - Ballot Measures". CNN. 1970-04-13. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      17. ^ a b Andrea Stone, Drives to ban gay adoption heat up in 16 states, USA Today, February 20, 2006
      18. ^ Pauline J. Chang, Wisconsin Conservatives Gear Up For Marriage Vote with 'Celebration', The Christian Post, October 25, 2006
      19. ^ Joe Hanel, Elite donors fuel ballot initiatives, The Durango Herald, October 29, 2006
      20. ^ "Ban on Same-Sex Unions Added to Va. Constitution". The Washington Post. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      21. ^ Citizens for Equal Protection v. Bruning
      22. ^ "Lambda Legal Declares Victory: Miami University Employees Keep Domestic Partner Benefits", Lambdalegal.org, November 20, 2006
      23. ^ American Civil Liberties Union, et al. v. Riley Darnell, et al.. Accessed November 3, 2006.
      24. ^ Hearing Held in ACLU-TN Challenge to Proposed Constitutional Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriage (January 20, 2006). ACLU of Tennessee. Accessed November 9, 2006.
      25. ^ November 2006 Tennessee General Election, Constitutional Amendment Questions
      26. ^ "High Court Upholds State Amendment Banning Same Sex Marriage". WUWM. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      27. ^ Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Case Seeking to Strip Away Domestic Partnership Protections (press release), Fair Wisconsin, Nov. 4, 2009.
      28. ^ "Wis. gov: Domestic partner law is unconstitutional". Associated Press. May 16, 2011. 
      29. ^ "Judge rules Wisconsin same sex registry is constitutional". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-02-05. 
      30. ^ "Ban on Same-Sex Unions Added to Va. Constitution", by Chris L. Jenkins, The Washington Post, November 8, 2006
      31. ^ "Marriage Measure Is an Amendment Too Far", by David Boaz, Cato Institute, November 3, 2006. property rights text of va ballot question no. 1
      32. ^ "Judge strikes down Prop. 8, allows gay marriage in California". L.A. Times. August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010. 
      33. ^ "Prop. 8: Gay-marriage ban unconstitutional, court rules". Los Angeles Times. February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
      34. ^ Bulwa, Demian; Fagan, Kevin; Gordon, Rachel (August 22, 2010). "Prop. 8: Appeals court puts ruling on hold". San Francisco Chronicle. 
      35. ^ "Hollingsworth v. Perry, Proceedings and Orders". Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved January 7, 2013. 
      36. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 7, 2012). "Supreme Court to rule on same-sex marriage". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2013. 
      37. ^ "Georgia governor vows special session if gay marriage appeal slows". WIS News 10. May 17, 2006. Retrieved October 4, 2009. 
      38. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/06/MF.gay.marriage.ap/[dead link]
      39. ^ "Marriage unanimously affirmed in Louisiana". Alliance Defense Fund. January 19, 2005. Retrieved October 4, 2009. 
      40. ^ National Pride at Work, Inc. v. Governor of Michigan 748 N.W.2d 524
      41. ^ Curry, Tom (May 12, 2005). "Judge strikes down Nebraska gay marriage ban". MSNBC. Retrieved October 4, 2009. 
      42. ^ Baur, Scott (June 10, 2005). "Appeal filed to restore Nebraska’s prohibition of same-sex marriage". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved October 4, 2009. 
      43. ^ Washington Post
      44. ^ "Texas Battle on Gay Marriage Looms", The New York Times, reported by James C. McKinley Jr., October 2, 2009
      45. ^ In re Marriage of J.B. and H.B., 326 S.W.3d 654 (Tex. App. - Dallas (5th Dist.) 2010)
      46. ^ Appleton, Roy (September 1, 2010). "Dallas judge's ruling saying gay couple could divorce in Texas rejected on appeal". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 19, 2013. 
      47. ^ Kreytak, Steven (January 7, 2011). "Same-sex divorce stands under appellate ruling: Attorney general did not have standing to intervene in case, court declares". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved January 19, 2013. 
      48. ^ No. 11-0024, the Supreme Court of Texas Blog
      49. ^ No. 11-0114the Supreme Court of Texas Blog
      50. ^ Rozen, Miriam (December 17, 2012). "Tex Parte Blog: Lawyer in two same-sex divorce cases awaits Texas Supreme Court decision on petitions for review". Texas Lawyer. Retrieved January 19, 2013. 
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