A New Jersey state court judge ruled that the state must permit same-sex couples to get married, according to NBC News.
The Sept. 27 ruling resulted from a lawsuit six same-sex couples brought. They contended it was unfair to allow them to only enter into civil unions, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided the federal government must recognize same-sex marriages in the states where they are legal.
The decision, by Judge Mary Jacobson of Mercer County Superior Court, picks up where the New Jersey Supreme Court left off in 2006, when it ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to all the rights and benefits that opposite-sex couples get.
Republican N.J. Gov. Chris Christie’s press secretary released this statement: “Governor 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. Since the legislature refused to allow the people to decide expeditiously, we will let the Supreme Court make this constitutional determination.”
Pro-LGBT groups hailed the decision. “The Supreme Court opened the door to federal benefits, and now the Court in New Jersey has ruled that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry. This news is thrilling. We argued that limiting lesbians and gay men to civil union is unfair and unconstitutional, and now the Court has agreed,” said Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg in a statement.