NEW YORK -- State lawyers are defending Gov. David Paterson's move to recognize out-of-state gay marriages.

They asked a Bronx judge Thursday to dismiss a Christian legal group's argument that the governor is overstepping his authority. The case comes as thousands of gay New York couples are expected to take advantage of a new Massachusetts law letting them wed there.

Same-sex couples cannot marry in New York, and the state's highest court has said only the Legislature can change that. But Paterson's counsel told state agencies in May that a recent state court ruling required them to recognize gay marriages legally performed elsewhere.

The Christian group, the Alliance Defense Fund, says the issue should be decided by the Legislature, not the governor.