Quote of the day: At least one interested party was already looking beyond today's ruling on same-sex marriage by New York State's highest court

"I'm sure we'll all look at this issue five years from now and say, what was the big deal?"
—Roberta A. Kaplan, a lawyer who argued on behalf of same-sex marriage before the New York Court of Appeals, which finally issued its ruling this morning

As I write, word has come down that the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, has issued its much-expected ruling on gay marriage: No, the state's constitution does not require allowing same-sex marriage, and this is not a legally indefensible position, but the state legislature has the opportunity to consider what the court describes as "a relatively new" idea. The decision covers four cases involving 44 litigants, which were combined by the court.

The larger view taken in our quote of the day predates the ruling, however. In yesterday's paper, reporter Anemona Hartocollis, writing about the decision that was expected yesterday, quoted Ms. Kaplan:

"On the one hand, if there is a victory in the case, it would be a great and historic day. On the other hand, I'm sure we'll all look at this issue five years from now and say, what was the big deal? Because there is a clear line of authority now moving in our direction."