ALBANY -- As the state Senate continues the fight for power, paralyzing the chamber, the movement for same-sex marriage is getting sidelined indefinitely.

New York's warring Senate factions took a few minutes to gavel in and out of the extraordinary session Thursday ordered by Gov. David Paterson. Paterson has called them back for session Friday.

Manhattan Democrats Sen. Thomas Duane and Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell sponsored legislation to legalize gay marriage, but both say the issue is too important to push right now.

The Senate has been paralyzed since a June 8 parliamentary coup. The special sessions are an attempt to force lawmakers to act, but no bills have been passed. Some question the legality of a special session without the Assembly.

Earlier we reported:

The state Senate plans to hold its first full session in nearly three weeks after Gov. David Paterson threatened to take lawmakers to court to get them back to work amid the chamber's ongoing power struggle.

Late Wednesday night, Paterson issued a statement saying there was no need to seek a court order to get senators back to work in another special session Thursday.

The governor's statement was released after Senate's Democratic conference and the Republican-dominated coalition had agreed to meet jointly Thursday afternoon in what would be the chamber's first full session in 20 days.

The Senate has been deadlocked since all 30 Republicans and two dissident Democrats mounted a June 8 overthrow of the Democratic conference.