Ruling Goes Against Same-Sex Marriages

A state appeals court in Albany unanimously upheld a ruling barring a village mayor from performing same-sex marriages, saying he acted beyond his authority when he presided over two dozen ceremonies last year.

A lawyer for New Paltz Mayor Jason West promised to appeal to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.

“West robed himself with judicial powers and declared the marriage laws of this state unconstitutional,” Justice John Lahtinen wrote in the decision. “Having concluded that the Legislature violated the constitution, he then wrapped himself with that body’s power and drafted his own set of documents for licensing marriages.”