Monroe County To Appeal Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
In a case with national implications, Monroe County officials said this morning that they will appeal a state appellate court ruling in Rochester earlier this month that said New York must recognize same-sex marriages legally consecrated elsewhere.
The ruling is considered the first of its kind in the country.
The ruling comes from a recent case against Monroe Community College employee who sought medical benefits for her same-sex partner. The couple had a civil-union ceremony in Vermont and later married in Ontario, Canada, where same-sex marriages are legally recognized.
The couple demanded the foreign marriage be recognized in New York and that
they receive medical benefits from the college. But the county contends that state law mandates that marriage is an institution that exists strictly between a man and a woman, and foreign marriages are recognized so long as they are not contrary to state law.
“This is a clear case of misinterpretation of the law,� said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks in a statement. “We must appeal this decision in order to protect Monroe County taxpayers. We can not simply extend benefits to unmarried couples and we certainly can not ignore the definition of marriage that currently exists under state law.�
| 
Email This
Advertisements
How can a NYS appellate court be so ignorant of NYS law? Or, have they decided, illegally, to enact law instead of to interpret it?
It’s a sad day when a public official like Maggie Brooks misstates facts and the law in order to justify the spread of bigotry.
Maggie Brooks said the case involves unmarried couples when, in fact, it involves a married couple. The county itself has conceded that the couple is validly married. So Maggie Brooks hasn’t even read the briefs from her own side!
And, unlike what Maggie Brooks says, the case isn’t about how New York defines “marriage.” Rather, it’s about whether New York has a law explicitly stating that it will not recognize marriages between people of the same sex. The state has no such law and the legislature and governor are supportive of a law that would allow all couples to actually marry in New York. So Maggie Brooks is wrong about her “definition of marriage” argument.
Is Maggie so grossed out by same-sex couples that she will waste the county’s money on legal fees to try to take away their health care benefits? I guess so. I think that’s sad, petty, and inhuman. I’d like her to look into the eyes of a child of a same-sex couple and explain her reasoning.
Marriage is between one man and one woman, period!
If this same sex lawsuit was ever to make it to our shores in this State by the malcontents, it would spell disaster.
Right behind this lawsuit are others of obscenity, such law suits as:
One man and three women, one man and his daughter and niece, one woman and animal.
The fact is when “Definition” of Marriage is dissolved in law, then it opens up the flood gates to other lawsuits that truly will stand on sound ground.
In other words, the key here is the “Definition of Marriage” remaining what it is today.
Jim Kelly you are an idiot period!!!!
Upstate New York, especially Monroe County and Maggie Brooks, is an embarrassment to the rest of us.
Hey, ed – get your own name – ed
I don’t normally comment on blogs but your post was a real help. Thank you for a great topic, I will be sure to bookmark your site and check it out again. Cheers, Amy xXx.