Appeals court to hear gay-marriage dispute; Proponents and opponents are coming to Albany for legal arguments.(Main)

Byline: MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON Staff Writer

ALBANY - Four dozen same-sex couples, their families, supporters, lawyers and the civil libertarians who have championed their cause will converge Wednesday in Albany to make legal arguments they hope will swing open the door to gay marriage.

Yet for every friend-of-the-court brief filed and signed in solidarity by 132 law professors, two former Court of Appeals judges, 14 civil liberties groups and 200 religious organizations, there is another from a local or national challenger contending that the traditional definition of marriage should not be changed and that New York's policies do not violate the equal protection, due process and free expression provisions of its constitution.

Stalwarts include the Catholic Conference of New York State, which represents the bishops. New York's Conservative Party also opposes gay marriage.

They are joined by the Family Research Council, Liberty Counsel, the Marriage Law Foundation, Alliance …