Cuomo was lauded for his efforts to pass same-sex marriage legislation.[61][62][63] One prominent same-sex marriage advocate stated that "for gay Americans, Mr. Cuomo was "the only national politician with hero status."[62] In the fall of 2011, Cuomo made a speech calling for all states to legalize same-sex marriage; Cuomo stated that "We need marriage equality in every state in this nation... Otherwise, no state really has marriage equality, and we will not rest until it is a reality."[63] Following the passage of the Marriage Equality Act, Cuomo was criticized for describing the viewpoints of same-sex marriage opponents as being "anti-American."[64][65] On July 25, 2011, a lawsuit was filed in the New York Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the Marriage Equality Act, alleging corruption and violations of the law in the process of passing the bill.[66] The trial court held that the plaintiffs' case could proceed, stating that "clear arm-twisting by the Executive on the Legislative permeate[d the] entire process" by which the same-sex marriage law was passed.[67] But on appeal, the Appellate Division reversed the trial court's decision, holding, "It is ADJUDGED and DECLARED that defendant New York State Senate did not violate the Open Meetings Law (Public Officers Law art. 7) in enacting the Marriage Equality Act (L. 2011, ch. 95, § 3) and that marriages performed thereunder are not invalid."[68]