Charges dropped
against mayor who married gay couples

Criminal charges against the mayor of New Paltz, N.Y., for marrying gay couples were dropped Tuesday by the prosecutor, who said a trial would be unnecessary and divisive. Village mayor Jason West had faced fines and up to a year in jail related to 24 misdemeanor counts filed after he married about two dozen gay couples in public ceremonies in February 2004. He was charged with violating the state's domestic relations law. But in a surprise move Ulster County district attorney Donald Williams told the court Tuesday he would decline further criminal action against the mayor of the Hudson Valley village. Williams told the presiding judge that West is already enjoined from marrying more gay couples because of a separate civil case and that other courts have rejected the mayor's legal arguments. "While a trial in this case would be filled with rhetoric and hyperbole, it would be lacking in a viable public purpose," Williams wrote. There was no immediate comment from West. His lawyer, E. Joshua Rosenkranz, called it "a compete and total vindication." "The district attorney dropped the charges because he knew he would never convince a jury to convict the mayor," he said. (AP)