New Jersey is moving forward with a September 27th court ruling that will allow same-sex couples to marry, after the New Jersey Superior Court today denied the State's motion to stay the ruling. Lambda Legal filed a brief asking the Court to deny the motion on behalf of Garden State Equality and six same-sex couples seeking the full protections of marriage under the law.
"In making this argument, however, the State ignores the largely abstract nature of the harm it alleges, which pales in comparison to the concrete harm caused to Plaintiffs by their current ineligibility for many federal marital benefits, and the significant litigation burden they would have to shoulder to challenge federal denial of marital benefits to civil union couples," wrote the Court in today's decision.
The Court's previous ruling was made in the case of an emergency request brought by Garden State Equality and the six couples and their families, saying that the state of New Jersey was preventing same-sex couples from receiving the same protections as straight married couples.
“This is a historic moment for all loving and committed couples in New Jersey," said New Jersey United for Marriage Campaign Manager Mike Premo. “While we highly anticipate the weddings to come, we must not, however, lose sight of what still needs to be accomplished. At any moment, the court can step in and put a halt to all this, temporarily or permanently. The safest, surest, quickest route to marriage equality still remains with the Legislature."
GLAAD congratulates same-sex couples and their families in New Jersey on this important step toward marriage equality.
