But it raises the stakes in future contests over who will interpret it.
As a political and cultural matter, they are contests over something less easy to codify: the official recognition of love.
As a legal matter, these are contests over the expansion of the rights and obligations of marriage.
There were no active contests over territory at the time, not even in the Asian or African colonies.
But increasingly Europe's business is conducted in an earthly Jerusalem, with its grubby contests over money, influence, jobs and national status.
The greater test yesterday proved to be the heavy ground, with a third of the runners in the two contests over the National fences pulled up.
"It is true that in 2000 and 2008 the L.G.B.T. community, gays and lesbians, lost ballot measure contests" over same-sex marriage, Dr. Miller said.
Over 1m children have taken part in FIRST's contests over the years, and Mr Kamen hopes that they will instigate big changes of their own.
But their voice is going to be diminished as Mr. McCain and the rest of the field heads into the crush of contests over the next two weeks.
"It was almost a pattern," he said of presidential contests over the years, that whoever had the lowest attendance would do the best.
The Tories have slipped back in mayoral contests over the years, having finished second in 2002, 2006 and third (to the Lib Dems) in 2010.
