BOSTON--Just weeks before the controversial same-sex marriage ruling will take effect in Massachusetts a pro-family group filed a legal challenge on behalf of some state legislators.

According to Baptist Press it was the second time in a week that various pro-family groups have sought to stop or delay the ruling.

The American Center for Law and Justice asks the court to vacate its decision in the latest request. At least one of the justices in the 4-3 majority must change his or her mind for this request to be accepted.

The request argues that the issue of which branch of government has jurisdiction in marriage law be resolved. Critics of the Massachusetts court decision have argued that judges overstepped their bounds in what was essentially a legislative matter.

ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow called the legal request "the last effort that I think legally that can be made."

According to Baptist Press "the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts is the first step in a two-prong effort by supporters to have it legalized nationwide. The second step involves suing in federal court to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act and have the Massachusetts licenses recognized elsewhere. The act was signed into law in 1996 and gives states the option of not recognizing another state's same-sex marriages."