US: Top New York court rejects appeal against equal marriage law
On Tuesday, the New York Court of Appeals refused to hear a challenge against the 2011 law which legalised equal marriage in the state.
The Court of Appeals in Albany upheld a decision made in July by the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court in Rochester, to not hear an appeal against the equal marriage law, as Governor Andrew Cuomo, and others involved, did not break any regulations when creating it.
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, an evangelical group, had claimed in the motion that the state senate acted illegally when it voted to approve the bill.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, who signed the equal marriage legislation back in 2011, responded to the court’s decision by saying:
“New York State has served as a beacon for progressive ideals, and this statute is a clear reminder of what this state stands for: equality and justice for all,” UPI reported.
“With the court’s decision, same-sex couples no longer have to worry that their right to marry could be legally challenged in this state,” he said. “The freedom to marry in this state is secure for generations to come.”
The group said the senate violated the state’s Open Meetings laws by illegally preventing opposing senators from speaking and by not sending the bill to the appropriate committees.
In a statement on the group’s website, Executive Director, Reverend Jason McGuire said:
“Every time the people of a state have had opportunity to vote on this issue, they have rejected same-sex ‘marriage,’ but when rogue legislators and activist courts get involved they reject the will of the people.”
In July, New York celebrated one year of equal marriage law. The marriage equality law came into action on 24 July 2011, with 33 votes to 29, making New York the sixth, and largest, US state to give gay couples the right to wed.
