07.06.06
Twin Defeats For Gay Marriage
New York’s highest court ruled Thursday that gay marriage is not allowed under state law, rejecting arguments by same-sex couples who said the law violates their constitutional rights.
Hours later, the Georgia state Supreme Court reinstated that state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage. It reversed a lower court judge’s ruling, deciding unanimously that the ban did not violate the state’s single-subject rule for ballot measures. Seventy-six percent of Georgia voters approved the ban when it was on the ballot in 2004.
New York’s Court of Appeals, in a 4-2 decision, said New York’s marriage law is constitutional and clearly limits marriage to between a man and a woman.
Any change in the law would have to come from the state Legislature, Judge Robert Smith said.