Politics
Wednesday June 9, 2004
Judge Permanently Bars U.S. Mayor from Illegally Solemnizing Same-Sex Unions
Says Mayor's "view, if accepted, would mean that the Mayor is a law unto himself"
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
NEW PALTZ, NY, June 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Judge E. Michael Kavanagh, of the Ulster County Supreme Court in New York, issued a Permanent Injunction yesterday that ordered Jason West, the 26-year old part-time Mayor of New Paltz, NY, to stop solemnizing same sex "marriages." The Injunction was issued in a lawsuit filed by Liberty Counsel on behalf of Robert (Bob) Hebel, a member of the New Paltz Board of Trustees.
On February 26, 2004, Mayor West announced he would solemnize marriages of same-sex couples. On February 27, West solemnized the "marriages" of 25 same-sex couples. He then created an "Affidavit of Marriage" and a "Contract of Marriage" that he posted on the Village's web site. He said he was issuing these documents "in lieu of a Certificate of Marriage" because the town clerk refused to issue a license. By March 1, the website created a "Marriage Waiting List," with the next ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, March 6. West, who is a member of the Green Party, thought it was "funny" that he had provoked a fight, concluding, "This is the best day of my mayoral career."
New York law states that parties to a marriage must "solemnly declare" that "they take each other as husband and wife." A marriage license must include a "statement or affidavit" containing information from the "groom," who is also called the "husband" and the "bride." It is a criminal misdemeanor for any person to solemnize a marriage "without a license being presented to him," and violations are punishable with a fine of not less than $50.00 or by imprisonment up to 1 year. On March 2, Donald Williams, Ulster County district attorney, charged West with a 19 count indictment for illegally solemnizing same-sex marriages without a license.
Judge Kavanagh's decision stated, "The impact of [Mayor West's] position, that an elected official may willfully violate a law anytime he or she believes it is unconstitutional, has profound and unsettling implications. This view, if accepted, would mean that the Mayor is a law unto himself and would in certain circumstances have power that is simply incompatible with a democratic form of government based on the rule of law."
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.