Tweet Of The Day - Evan Wolfson

Courts, legislature, & public (super-majority) in #NewJersey all support the @freedomtomarry. Time for @ChrisChristie to stop blocking it.

— Evan Wolfson (@evanwolfson) September 27, 2013

New Jersey Ruling Reactions

ACLU-New Jersey

This is a great day for all of New Jersey. The court has recognized the love and commitment that same-sex couples share is no different from anyone else’s,” said Udi Ofer, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act made it clear that civil unions discriminate against same-sex New Jersey couples. Today’s decision leaves no doubt that only the freedom to marry provides the equality that same-sex families deserve. We encourage the state to respect the court’s decision and to not further prolong the inequality suffered by New Jersey families. The ACLU-NJ will continue to work with our allies across the state to encourage the legislature to bring full equality to New Jersey as soon as possible."

Human Rights Campaign

“Civil unions are separate and unequal, particularly in light of this year’s historic Supreme Court term,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Chad Griffin. “There are no rational arguments why couples in New Jersey should be relegated to second class status. State officials should not appeal this sound decision and no longer stand in the way of loving couples being able to make a lifelong commitment with full state and federal recognition.” HRC offers our congratulations to Garden State Equality, the plaintiffs in the case, as well as Lambda Legal representing them in court.

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

This is a significant victory for same sex couples in New Jersey. The state's motto is 'Liberty and Prosperity'. Now lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples will get the chance to experience the ideas behind the motto through the freedom to marry. We applaud Garden State Equality, New Jersey United for Marriage, ACLU and Lambda Legal on today’s victory. We’ll celebrate today, and tomorrow we will continue the hard work of changing legislator’s hearts and minds until the freedom to marry is guaranteed for all New Jerseyans.

NEW JERSEY: Superior Court Judge Rules That Same-Sex Marriages Are Legal

In a ruling that Gov. Chris Christie has vowed to appeal, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled this afternoon that the state must allow same-sex couples to marry.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson sided almost entirely with a group of same-sex couples and gay rights groups who sued the state in July, days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of a law that blocked the federal government from granting benefits to gay couples. Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican in the midst of a re-election campaign and a possible presidential contender, said through a spokesman Friday that he plans to appeal the decision, which he believes should be determined by a popular vote rather than a court.

Jacobson made the ruling effective Oct. 21, giving Christie time to appeal and likely ask a court to delay implementation of her order. "Gov. Christie has always maintained that he would abide by the will of the voters on the issue of marriage equality and called for it to be on the ballot this Election Day," spokesman Michael Drewniak said in a statement Friday. "Since the legislature refused to allow the people to decide expeditiously, we will let the Supreme Court make this constitutional determination."

Garden State Equality and Lambda Legal react:

"We've won a great ruling today, and there is no turning back," said Troy Stevenson, Executive Director of Garden State Equality. "Garden State Equality was proud to help initiate this historic case. We have long been leading the charge for equality, and we will continue to pursue every avenue to make sure New Jersey's same-sex couples enjoy the dignity of marriage as quickly as possible."

"Eleven years ago, when we asked Lambda Legal to work on our behalf, we were prepared for a long, hard road for our family and for other same-sex couples and their kids," said Cindy Meneghin, plaintiff in the lawsuit along with her high school sweetheart, Maureen Kilian, and their two children. "The U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down DOMA was historic for the nation but out of reach for us here in New Jersey. Today, with this ruling, the full benefits of that historic Supreme Court decision are within our reach, and we couldn’t be happier."

NEW JERSEY: Gay Groups Encourage Cory Booker To Challenge Christie In 2013

The Newark Star-Ledger today reports that both Garden State Equality and the Human Rights Campaign are encouraging Mayor Cory Booker to challenge Gov. Chris Christie in his 2013 re-election bid.

Steve Goldstein, the head of New Jersey’s largest gay rights organization, says he’ll go "door to door from New Jersey to West Hollywood to raise millions of dollars" if Newark Mayor Cory Booker runs for governor. Barbara Siperstein, the state’s first transgender party delegate, says she has received phone calls from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations across the country who are eager to hold fundraisers for Booker. "Like few others, Cory Booker manages to capture the imagination of the LGBT community from all over the country, and from all walks of life," said Fred Sainz, a vice president with the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights group "I would suspect a wide diversity of Americans would support his campaign and help get him the resources he needs to win."

The Star-Ledger notes the moment at the Democratic National Convention when Booker broadly hinted his 2013 intentions to the LGBT Caucus by saying, "I’m telling you right now, it’s not a matter of if we’re going to win marriage equality in New Jersey. It’s a matter of when we’re going to win it. And I know in my heart of hearts, if God is willing, I will be there on that day that bill is signed. I might even have a very good seat when it gets done." (I was live-tweeting from the room at that moment and almost broke my fingers getting that quote out.)

Garden State Equality On Chris Christie

Garden State Equality chair Steven Goldstein has issued a statement about Gov. Chris Christie and his impending veto of the marriage equality bill. An excerpt:

As I have said before, where we agree with them on the issues, Governor Christie and his Administration have treated us with warmth and responsiveness. Yes is yes, no is no, and we’ll get back to you means they get back to you faster than you thought, usually with invaluable help.

And that’s precisely why Governor Christie’s veto of the marriage equality bill will hurt so badly. We’re not naïve – we’ve always known he would veto the bill, and frankly, I was always a bit puzzled by the silly tea-leaf reading and phantasmagoric hopes that perhaps the Governor would look deep inside his heart and let the bill become law. Ridiculous. I know this Governor, and when he says he’ll do something, take him at his word, for better and here for worse.

It’s why I chose not to waste a breath in pleading with the Governor not to veto – and have put Garden State Equality immediately to work to achieve an override. The great news is, we have until the end of the legislative session, in January 2014, to do it.

That doesn’t obviate the pain of the Governor’s veto. Because I do know him, I also know he is not some anti-LGBT nut. He is no Rick Santorum. Frankly, I don’t think Chris Christie has an anti-gay bone in his body, however much I cannot say the same about his impending veto. His veto will be a brutally anti-gay act, pure and simple.

Read the full statement.

Garden State Equality Tweets...

NEW JERSEY: Superior Court Judge Allows Marriage Equality Lawsuit To Proceed

A New Jersey Superior Court judge today granted permission for Lambda Legal to proceed with its marriage equality lawsuit on behalf of Garden State Equality and seven same-sex couples. Via press release:

"We are delighted that the New Jersey Superior Court will allow this case to continue and permit us to demonstrate how the legislature's crafting of a status other than marriage for same-sex couples has failed to provide them the equality promised by the New Jersey Constitution. Civil union relegates New Jersey's same-sex couples to a second-class status that keeps them and their families vulnerable," said Hayley Gorenberg, Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director.

"By moving to dismiss, the government was trying to prevent us from showing exactly how the current classification system based on sexual orientation harms families. New Jersey’s exclusion interferes during medical crises, denies them health insurance, and leads to discrimination against them even in funeral homes. These families need marriage equality and should not have to live with a law that treats them as inferior."

The judge's ruling squashed the attempt by the state Attorney General to have the case dismissed entirely.

Marriage Setback In New Jersey

In a 3-3 split decision (one seat is vacant), this morning the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging the unfairness of the state's civil unions law. The case was brought by Lambda Legal and Garden State Equality. Metro Weekly's Chris Geidner quotes GSE:

“Because of the legislature's inability to act and the Supreme Court's decision today, New Jersey continues in a caste system where an entire people are thrown aside into a profoundly inferior status, spit on, dumped on, utterly degraded, by hospitals and employers who mock the term "civil union." Children will continue to live with an imprimatur of inferiority, psychologically devastated because they can't marry or because their same-sex parents cannot marry. Same-sex couples will continue to be denied the consistent right to visit one another in the hospital, to make medical decisions for one another, and to receive equal health benefits from employers, all because of the deprivation of the equality and dignity that uniquely comes with the word ‘marriage.’

A Message To NOM's Brian Brown

And more from Blue Jersey's Jay Lassiter on yesterday's NOM Hate Tour visit to Trenton. Watch this, but grab a tissue first.

Garden State Equality: Stop Donating To Every Political Party

Garden State Equality is talking tough.

Sending a bold signal that no political party should take the support of the LGBT community and its allies for granted, Garden State Equality’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved a new provision for the organization’s bylaws that immediately precludes Garden State Equality from giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. Under the new policy, Garden State Equality will make financial contributions only to individual candidates and to non-party organizations that further equality for the LGBT community. The bylaws provision asks Garden State Equality members, who make their own decisions as to individual political contributions, to refrain from contributing to parties and their affiliated committees.

“No political party has a record good enough on LGBT civil rights that it can rightfully claim to be entitled to our money on a party-wide basis,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality. “No longer will we let any political party take our money and volunteers with one hand, and slap us in the face with the other when we seek full equality.” "Our Board of Directors felt so strongly about adopting this new policy," Goldstein said, "that it unanimously decided to include it in the organization's bylaws."

Garden State Equality is the largest LGBT activism group in New Jersey.

NJ Assembly Rebuffs Last Minute Plea For A Vote On Marriage Equality

Marriage equality activists and Bible-waving opponents faced off outside the New Jersey state house yesterday as Garden State Equality made a last-minute pitch to convince to convince lawmakers to make a vote on marriage before session ends on January 11th. Governor-elect Chris Christie takes office on the 19th. But the state Assembly Judiciary Committee refused the effort. Garden State Equality head Steves Goldstein threatened to abandon support for the Democrats, saying, “Either we will be able to march up the aisle and have marriage equality, or we will march across the aisle and have political independence."

NJ Senate Marriage Vote Next Week

After a month of dithering, it appears that the full NJ Senate will vote on marriage equality next week. The announcement came to the cheers of hundreds of LGBT activists gathered at the state house in Trenton.

The New Jersey gay marriage proposal will be considered Monday by a Senate committee and could be posted for a full senate vote later in the week, state Sen. Ray Lesniak said today. "On Monday in the Judiciary Committee, we're going to vote on marriage equality," Lesniak (D-Union) said, while making the announcement to a crowd of gay marriage supporters on the Statehouse steps today. "On Thursday the full Senate is going to vote on marriage equality," said Lesniak, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee." And God be willing, we'll have 21 votes." Democratic officials previously said they would not put the legislation to a vote unless they had the support needed to pass it. Senate President Richard Codey later confirmed that the full Senate will vote on the measure on Thursday. About 650 people came here today in support of the bill's passage. At least a dozen same-sex marriage opponents, mainly a group of Orthodox Jews from Lakewood, held a counter protest at the Statehouse.

It remains unclear on when the issue will be brought before the state Assembly. Outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine has just over a month left in his term. Jersey peeps: Contact your state reps NOW via this easy-to-use contact sheet at Garden State Equality.

New Jersey Pushing Forward With Marriage Plan Despite Corzine Loss

Garden State Equality is pushing forward with their marriage equality plan despite yesterday's loss by their champion, Gov. Jon Corzine. Should the NJ legislature pass same-sex marriage during the remainder of Corzine's lame duck term, he has said he will sign it. Incoming anti-gay governor Chris Christie has said that if that happens, one of his first acts will be to launch a campaign to repeal the law with a constitutional amendment. Here's a just-released clip from Garden State Equality.