NY Mayor Cleared of Gay-Marriage Charges

[FreeState]

By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. - A judge Thursday dismissed criminal charges against a small-town mayor for marrying gay couples, saying the state failed to show it has a legitimate interest in banning same-sex weddings.

New Paltz Town Court Justice Jonathan Katz also ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the law New Paltz Mayor Jason West was charged with violating was constitutional.

West had faced the possibility of fines or up to a year in jail for presiding at the weddings of more than two dozen same-sex couples on Feb. 27. The weddings drew the Hudson Valley village of New Paltz into the growing national debate over gay marriage.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040610/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage_2


YEAAAHHOOOO!

[Misunderestimator]

1. Excellent news! Thanks. n/t

[Lavender Brown]

2. Jason West

is one person who makes me proud of my generation. :thumbsup:

[arwalden]

3. "NO LEGITIMATE INTEREST IN BANNING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE!!"

That ranks right up there with "Wholly Without Merit" in my book of memorable judgements.

-- Allen

[RhodaGrits]

4. From the local paper - with more promised tomorrow:

In arguments before Katz several weeks ago, the Ulster County District Attorney's office argued that the case was a cut-and-dried matter of whether West broke the state's domestic relations law. West's lawyers contended the mayor's actions had everything to do with the case, that he was in fact obliged to perform the ceremonies in order not to violate constitutional guarantees of equal protection.
Katz said there were "constitutional implications" that had to be dealt with.


http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2004/06/10/jhjasond.htm

The weddings have continued every Saturday in New Paltz but are being performed by Unitarian Universalist ministers. I celebrated my friends' wedding there last month (they had been together 14 yrs prior) and have enjoyed seeing the tables of family and friends partying after the ceremonies every Saturday afternoon at the local restaurants.

[David Zephyr]

5. Good News for a Brave Guy!

:thumbsup:

[Tabucky]

6. Jason West is a cool guy

I hope that some towns in Fire Island, NY, start allowing same-sex marriage. What's taking them so long? I was out there last weekend and read an editorial in a local newspaper encouraging Fire Island (pretty much the gay capital of the world) towns to start wedding gays. I couldn't agree more.

By the way, is that county in New Mexico still allowing gay marriage?

[FreeState]

7. Nope

By the way, is that county in New Mexico still allowing gay marriage?

Nope. The only place that GLBT persons can get married inside the US right now is Mass.