Wednesday, September 14, 2005  NYC Marriage Licenses on Appeal
The inference of the AP reporter, Samuel Maull, covering New
York City SSM arguments is that this will end up in the
legislature. Lambda Legal's Susan Sommer argued to a five-judge
appeals panel that not granting marriage licenses to same sex
couples denies them equal protection and due process under the
state constitutional law.  The article says, "Some of the judges
seemed unreceptive to Sommer's arguments. They asked several
times whether her issues should be before the Legislature rather
than the courts." She responded that it was the court's duty to
ensure individual rights and review as necessary.  New York City
Attorney Leonard Koerner represented an appeal of state Supreme
Court (not New York's highest court) Justice Doris Ling-Cohan
ruled Sommer's way in February. Koerner added that the City's
mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is in favor of same-sex marriage, but
does not want "the chaos" of different rules in different cities
in the state.  If