Lawsuit hits newly approved NY gay marriage

A group of religious leaders filed a lawsuit Monday against a newly approved gay marriage law in New York state and hundreds of same-sex unions celebrated over the weekend. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms filed the lawsuit in state court in Livingston County where one of the plaintiffs, Reverend Jason McGuire, lives. The lawsuit says it seeks to "preserve not only marriage as the union of one woman to one man, but also our constitutional liberties" which were allegedly violated by the voting procedures in the state assembly during approval of the law. The group states that it was founded in 1982 by pastors "concerned about religious liberties and moral values in New York State." New York City officials said 659 same-sex couples were married Sunday and that others who received their licenses will be wed in the coming weeks. The state legislature voted June 24 to allow gay marriage, making it the sixth and most important US state to give the green light.