A large group of professors from the University of MinnesotaâÄôs Law School sent a letter urging the state Senate and House of Representatives to prevent a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage from being placed on the 2012 ballot.

In the letter signed by 63 Law School faculty, the professors wrote that the proposed amendment âÄúwould set in constitutional cement the existing hardships on thousands of families, including children, that many in the legal profession serve.âÄù

âÄú[It] will likely generate litigation over both its validity and its scope; in effect, the legislature is inviting significant and needless expense for the state and its citizens during a time of extraordinary economic difficulty.âÄù

Gay marriage is already banned in Minnesota through legislation, but a constitutional amendment would make a ban much harder to reverse.

Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, introduced the constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman on April 27.

The proposed amendment passed through the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety committee on Monday.