ALBANY, N.Y. — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed an appeal Monday on behalf of a group of New York taxpayers in an effort to stop officials from illegally recognizing same-sex “marriages” performed outside the Empire State.
“The government should promote and encourage strong families. In this case, state officials are sidestepping New York marriage laws designed to do that,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum. “New York officials have no right to circumvent New York’s marriage laws by adopting the marriage laws of a foreign country.”
In 2007, ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of taxpayers against the New York State Department of Civil Service after officials chose to redefine the term “spouse” to include same-sex couples who “wed” outside the state. The move resulted in the extension of state benefits applicable only to legally married couples (
www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4130).
New York state law permits taxpayers to challenge any illegal action by a state official which expends state funds.
A copy of the notice of appeal filed in the New York Supreme Court for Albany County in
Lewis v. The New York State Department of Civil Service is available at
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/LewisAppeal.pdf.
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
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