Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Gay Marriage Case at Court of Appeals
By
Jen Chung
Published May 31, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 31, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Today, the Court of Appeals will be hearing from lawyers about gay marriage in NYC today. Back in February 2005, a State Supreme Court judge ruled that gay and lesbian couples have equal access to marriage, but the city appealed and an appellate court reversed the decision. Which brings the case to the Court of Appeals. And though Mayor Blooomberg supports gay marriage, he does hope the city's lawyers will win, "I would never want to hire lawyers that tried to lose - they will try to win." Mayor Bloomberg wants NY State to decide whether gay marriage is legal, because it's all about the Constitution (his premise being if NYC starts to perform gay marriages, only for them to be overturned by the state later on, what good is that?). Anyway, Bloomberg claims he will ask Albany to allow gay marriage if the city wins...and if the city doesn't win, he'll let gay marriages be performed. Oh, to be a second term mayor! Gothamist hopes that if the State of Appeals rules in the plaintiffs' favor, then NY State will start to take up the gay marriage cause. At the moment, Governor Pataki won't touch it (of course) and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been cagey about it (he supports it, but it's not legal in NY State, though NY State recognizes gay marriages from other states).
You can see the plaintiff's documents and more at Lambda Legal, which also has bios and photos of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit - they are couples who have been together for five to twenty-four years.
Tagged
Albany
attorney general
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
bloomberg
court
eliot spitzer
gay
gay marriage
gothamist
governor
Governor Pataki
jen chung
lawsuit
mayor
mayor bloomberg
Mayor Blooomberg
News: NYC
ny state
nyc
photos
Politics
spitzer
state supreme court
supreme court
the city
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .