After embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's named Roland Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, Democratic Senate leaders claim they will invoke their constitutional power to block the appointment. Analysts discuss the situation's legal and political implications.

The Supreme Court in California ruled Thursday that barring lesbian and gay couples from marrying is unconstitutional, clearing the way for the nation's most populous state to join Massachusetts as the second state to allow same-sex marriages.