Republican Sen. Greg Ball over the weekend released a statement dismissing the lawsuit filed by a conservative group against same-sex marriage, saying the measure was approved in a small-d democratic fashion.

“Rarely has democracy been as active or alive as it was the day of that vote. While some, like this group, would have liked to of seen dysfunctional Albany bottle up any vote or debate, democracy won the day over Albany’s old dysfunctional politics. The votes were there, the vote was held, and the bill passed. This group apparently would have liked to see old Albany rear it’s ugly head, where a small minority controlled by the extreme and petty interest, could have killed democratic action. Democracy won.”

This is an interesting statement from Ball, a Hudson Valley lawmaker known for taking maverick stances.

Ball was one of the Republican senators who remained publicly undecided as to whether he would vote for the measure. Hours before the bill passed the Senate 33-29, Ball released a statement announcing he would vote no.

But the statement backs up the Senate Republicans, who hold a 32-30 majority, who allowed a vote on the bill.

Ball had held on for greater religious exemptions in the measure. Though several lawmakers met with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to hammer out broader religious language that was eventually included in an amendment, Ball said they did not go far enough.

The lawsuit, filed last week by New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedoms, claims the measure passed the Republican-led Senate in a legally dubious way, but many of those assertions rely on incorrect interpretations of the Open Meetings Law, accusations of illegal pay-for-play donations and the rules of the Senate.

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