LAMBDA LEGAL ARCHIVE SITETHIS SITE IS NO LONGER MAINTAINED. TO SEE OUR MOST RECENT CASES AND NEWS, VISITNEW LAMBDALEGAL.ORG
Court Backs Paterson Regarding Gay Unions
Find Your State
Know the laws in your state that protect LGBT people and people living with HIV.
Legal Help Desk
Publication Source & URL:
The New York Times
9/2/2008
"Governor David A. Paterson was acting within his powers when he issued an executive order requiring government agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state, a court ruled on Tuesday.
"The decision, issued by Justice Lucy A. Billings of State Supreme Court in the Bronx is the latest in a string of rulings by state courts that have upheld the right of same-sex couples who were married in other jurisdictions to have their marital status recognized in New York.
"...In a statement, Governor Paterson lauded the ruling as 'a wise and fair determination of the policy that holds valid same-sex marriages legally performed in other states.' The decision was also praised by the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.
"'There has been a steady drumbeat of courts recognizing longstanding New York law as it applies to same-sex couples,' Susan Sommer, a lawyer at the fund, said in a statement.