A Bronx judge has thrown out the first legal challenge to Gov. David Paterson's move to recognize out-of-state gay marriages.
From the AP:
In a ruling Tuesday, state Supreme Court Judge Lucy Billings said the policy is a "permissible, if not mandated, step toward the objective of equality" for gays. Her finding comes as thousands of gay New Yorkers are expected to take advantage of a new Massachusetts law letting them wed there.
Mr. Paterson's counsel told state agencies in May that a recent appellate court ruling required them to recognize gay marriages legally performed elsewhere.
An Arizona-based Christian legal group, the Alliance Defense Fund, filed a lawsuit saying the issue should be decided by the state Legislature, not the governor.
There will be more challenges coming. NY's courts have not always as gay marriage friendly as you might think. One interesting thing is that NY State Senate Republicans seem to not want to get involved with this fight. They're letting others push the anti-marriage cause.
UPDATE: I just remembered something I should stress to readers unfamiliar with NYS's judicial structure. The state's supreme court is NOT actually the highest court. It's jurisdiction is supreme in that it can hear any kind of case about anything (even though it doesn't).