legal arena

New York Teetering on Brink of Gay Marriage Sanction

By Rae Pearson
CBN News Assoc. Producer

CBN.com – (CBN News) - New York City is appealing a state supreme court ruling that calls for gay marriage to be legalized.

The ruling could make New York only the second state in the U.S. to allow same-sex marriages.

Meanwhile, conservatives say the state constitution is being ignored.

On Friday, a New York State Supreme Court judge declared that a law forbidding same-sex marriage violates the state constitution.

Justice Doris Ling-Cohan stated, "Similar to opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples are entitled to the same fundamental right to follow their hearts and publicly commit to a lifetime partnership with the person of their choosing."

Gay rights activists view the ruling as a historic step towards clearing the way for gay couples to wed. But conservatives say it is just another case of a judicial activist overriding the will of the people.

One conservative resident remarked, "I think the judge is totally off base. The judge is re-writing laws. In fact, the law is very clear in the state that marriage is between a man and a woman."

Right now, the ruling only applies in the city. And will not take effect for at least 30 days. But if the ruling survives the court of appeals in Albany, it will apply for the entire state.