The initiatives she referred to, in Oregon and Idaho, would have prohibited laws protecting homosexuals, as a class, from discrimination in housing and employment.

Several real-estate lawyers said the decision had broad implications and could be interpreted as prohibiting laws intended to prevent landlords from keeping vacant apartments off the market.

The United States Constitution, however, prohibits retroactive laws.

On November 3, 1992, Colorado voted 53.41% in favor and 46.59% against Initiative 2 which was a constitutional amendment which prohibited local laws from giving protected status for sexual orientation.

The problem with that argument, legislators on the judicial committee said in interviews Monday, is that the State Constitution prohibits retroactive laws.

Abolitionists also had some success in prohibiting laws that placed mandatory death sentences of convicted murderers.

And it prohibits laws that contradict "the provisions of the judgments of Islam."

Article 12(1) prohibits laws which require that some individuals within a single class should be treated more harshly than others.