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Judge Clears Mayor of Gay-Marriage Charges NewsMax.com WiresALBANY, N.Y. – A judge Thursday dismissed criminal charges against a small-town mayor for marrying gay couples. Barring an appeal, the ruling spares New Paltz Mayor Jason West the possibility of fines or jail time for presiding at the weddings of more than two dozen same-sex couples on Feb. 27. The weddings drew the Hudson Valley village into the growing national debate over gay marriage. The charges were thrown out by New Paltz Town Court Justice Jonathan Katz. District Attorney Donald Williams did not immediately return a call for comment. West and his lawyer E. Joshua Rosenkranz called the ruling a major victory for gay rights. "If history is any guide, this is the beginning of an unstoppable trend in New York," Rosenkranz said. West, 27, faced 19 misdemeanor counts of solemnizing marriages for couples without a license. If convicted, he could have gotten a year in jail. He remains barred from marrying same-sex couples under an order issued earlier this week by another judge.
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