Judge Rejects Challenge to N.Y. Recognition of Gay Rites
A Bronx judge has thrown out the first direct legal challenge to Governor Paterson's move to recognize out-of-state gay marriages.
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A gay couple that has been together for 38 years, Saliem Thomas and James Maher, fill out their marriage license forms before exchanging vows at City Hall in San Francisco on June 17.
In a ruling today, a state Supreme Court Judge, Lucy Billings, said the policy is a "permissible, if not mandated, step toward the objective of equality" for gays. Her finding comes as thousands of gay New Yorkers are expected to take advantage of a new Massachusetts law letting them wed there.
Mr. Paterson's counsel told state agencies in May that a recent appellate court ruling required them to recognize gay marriages legally performed elsewhere.
An Arizona-based Christian legal group, the Alliance Defense Fund, filed a lawsuit saying the issue should be decided by the state Legislature, not the governor.
The alliance and Mr. Paterson's office had no immediate response to the ruling.
