There's a breaking news banner at NYTimes.com that says "New Jersey Court Rules That State Must Allow Gay Marriage".
Stay tuned...
(I apologize--I can't delete the redundant second post.)
About friggin' time!
My fiancé and I are sitting here crying at the prospect of being able to marry in our home state. Oh, happy day!
Hooray! I won't have to travel to get married now!
Al Jazeera America posted the pdf of the court's ruling on their Facebook page if anyone is interested.
Here (pdf)
I've come to find Al Jazeera America has better reporting than most US main stream media outlets.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Which we pretty much thought would happen.
Christie's office has already indicated that he will appeal the decision. Gotta keep up his conservative cred for 2016.
Expected or no, congratulations to our members in New Jersey!
I always knew that a one-state-at-a-time change in the marriage laws would be a recipe for full employment for domestic relations lawyers. I'm not at all sure that this NJ decision will last for procedural reasons. On the other hand, civil unions do not give the partners the benefits that marriage gives. Now that key provisions of DOMA have fallen, there is an actual benefit to marriage (as opposed to civil unions). The best solution is probably to declare civil unions as a form of proto-marriage and therefore to eliminate civil unions in favor of marriage.
For folks waiting to marry till your own state allows same sex marriage, I recommend not waiting any longer. Now that DOMA has fallen, federal benefits will become available to same sex couples, but ONLY if they're married. (That's what has happened with federal employees). A resident of Northern Virginia therefore can't afford to wait till marriage equality comes to Virginia -- in the 24th century. Instead, I strongly recommend that Virginia couples cross the river to DC or Maryland and marry legally.
I realize that this is unfair, but it's better than standing on principle and losing benefits.
The same Superior (in every sense of the word) Court Judge who found that NJ "must" allow same-sex marriage has dismissed a request by NJ to prevent weddings from taking place, pending the state's appeal of that decision.
2 weeks and counting, Garden Staters...
Link to (very brief) NYT article
Excellent news! Congratulations to NJ!
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