In April, C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts and several conservative advocacy organizations tried to block the implementation of "Goodridge" in state court until the attempt to amend the State Constitution was allowed to run its course. A single justice of the SJC dismissed the complaint on May 3. A few days later, shortly before the "Goodridge" decision was to take effect, a conservative public interest law firm, Liberty Counsel (Orlando, Fla.), Thomas More Law Center (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Citizens for the Preservation of Constitutional Rights (Boston), and the American Family Association Center for Law and Policy (Tupelo, Miss.)  brought suit in federal court on behalf of the Vice President of the Catholic Action League, Robert Largess, and eleven members of the Legislature to stop the May 17 marriages. It argued that the SJC's decision deprived the people of Massachusetts of their right to a republican government. On May 13, 2004, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro denied their request for an injunction delaying implementation of the decision, as did the First Circuit Court of Appeals on June 29. In November, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case without comment.