A New Jersey judge has reportedly declared that officials should recognize same-sex marriages.
Judge Mary Jacobson of the Mercer County Superior Court cited the Supreme Court’s decision that struck down DOMA. Jacobson reportedly wrote that civil unions don’t go far enough because it doesn’t afford “certain federal benefits that legally married same-sex couples are able to enjoy.”
“If the trend of federal agencies deeming civil union partners ineligible for benefits continues, plaintiffs will suffer even more, while their opposite-sex New Jersey counterparts continue to receive federal marital benefits for no reason other than the label placed upon their relationship by the state,” she wrote. ”This unequal treatment requires that New Jersey extend civil marriage to same-sex couples to satisfy the equal protection guarantees of the New Jersey Constitution.”
You know, this is the last thing New Jersey Governor Christ Christie wanted. But to be fair, he has vowed to appeal. I’m not sure how much I trust Christie on this or the judges on the state Supreme Court. Wait, I am sure how much I trust them. I don’t.
