Andrew Cuomo Gives Himself the Power to Officiate Weddings

Do you take this governor to be your lawfully ordained marriage officiant? That was the question posed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the state legislature on Thursday, as the governor slipped into the session-end bill package a measure to allow himself to solemnize weddings.

The state legislature is expected to say yes to Mr. Cuomo’s proposal.

Unlike the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, who has embraced with some gusto the power to wed that comes as a perk of office, the governor of the state possess no such right.

But in the years since Mr. Cuomo coaxed the legislature into legalizing same-sex marriage, the governor said in an interview Thursday, he has received numerous requests from gay couples to solemnize their wedding ceremonies.