A New York appeals courts threw out the first legal challenge to the state's same-sex marriage law. They are dismissing a Christian group's claim the behind-the-scenes lobbying that preceded the law's passage had been improper. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, an evangelical Christian group, claimed the state Senate's Republican majority violated the state Open Meetings Law in June 2011. The state Senate's Republican majority had met with Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg behind closed doors to discuss marriage legislation.