(March 30, 2006)--Massachusetts' highest court said Thursday same-sex couples can't travel from other states to marry in Massachusetts.

The same court that made Massachusetts the first state to allow gay marriage says the law doesn't give nonresidents the "unfettered right to marry."

The 38-page opinion says only nonresidents who intend to live in Massachusetts after they're married can be given a license without considering the "impediments" that may exist in their former home states.

Eight gay couples from nearby states had challenged a 1913 law that keeps nonresidents from being wed in Massachusetts if their marriage isn't recognized in their home state.

A lawyer argued that Gov. Mitt Romney had "dusted off" the old law to discriminate against same-sex couples.