Users' Choice
New Jersey couples update marriage case after SCOTUS ruling
A group seeking to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey has filed new paperwork saying that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week helped the case.
The motion was filed in advance of an Aug. 15 hearing on the matter.
The state government’s reply is due Aug. 2.
The U.S. Supreme Court in late June invalidated parts of a federal law – the Defense of Marriage Act – that blocked the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions.
Seven gay couples in New Jersey have already sued, saying the state’s civil unions do not fulfill a state Supreme Court requirement that gay couples receive equal treatment to what married couples get.
Now, the couples’ lawyers are arguing that the state is blocking them from getting federal benefits.
New Jersey lawmakers have passed a marriage equality bill, which Gov. Chris Christie refused to sign. The Republican governor has said that voters should decide the issue.
