Small-town mayor charged for marrying gay couples
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NEW PALTZ, New York (AP) -- The village's mayor was charged Tuesday with 19 criminal counts for performing marriage ceremonies for gay couples.
Jason West was charged with solemnizing marriages without a license, a misdemeanor under the domestic relations law, according to Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams.
Although West could face a maximum penalty of a year in jail, Williams said a jail term wasn't being contemplated at this point.
West performed wedding ceremonies for 25 gay couples Friday, making him the second mayor in the country to perform same-sex marriages. More than 3,400 couples have been married in San Francisco, California.
West has insisted his actions were legal.
Williams said he believed West was served with a summons by New Paltz police that would require him to report to town court.
Williams said the misdemeanor charges do not hinge on whether gay marriage is legal in New York, only that the weddings were performed for people without marriage licenses.
West did not immediately return calls Tuesday.
State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said he will decide this week whether New York law allows gay marriage.
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