Same-sex marriage (SSM)

Civil unions and same-sex
marriage (SSM) in New Jersey

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Quotations:

	"If marriage means everything, it means absolutely nothing." Dr. James C. Dobson, of Focus on the Family.
	"A loving man and woman in a committed relationship can marry. Dogs, no matter what their relationship, are not allowed to marry. How should society treat gays and lesbians in committed relationships? As dogs or as humans?" A posting to an Internet mailing list; used by permission of the author.
	"All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness." Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution.
	"The couples, declaring they were tired of paying first-class taxes while being treated like second-class citizens, demanded the state allow them to marry just like their heterosexual friends, family, and neighbors." Excerpt from a Lambda news release concerning the New Jersey same-sex marriage case. 1
	"We want to say 'we're married' and have our community instantly understand the kind of loving relationship that we have - that we're in it for the long haul, through thick and thin." Saundra Heath, plaintiff. 1
	"We shouldn't have to jump through a million hoops to prove who we are to each other, and even then not be treated as equal to other couples." Alicia Toby, plaintiff and Saundra's partner. 1

Overview:

Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in several U.S. states have launched lawsuits to force their states to expand the legal definition of marriage to include same sex couples. Of these, the case in Massachusetts was successful. A similar movement in Canada granted same-sex couples the right to marry across the entire country in 2005-JUL. During early 2009, a number of New England states considered bills to create same-sex marriage legislation. The next logical states to consider SSM are New York and New Jersey.

A similar case in New Jersey was heard in late 2003-JUN by the New Jersey Superior court. Same-sex couples achieved a partial victory in 2006-OCT when the Supreme Court of New Jersey ordered the legislature to either:

	Expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, or
	Create a civil union type system that is similar to marriage, without the name "marriage."

The legislature took the second option.

In late 2007, two bills were introduced to allow all committed couples in New Jersey to marry, whether of the same-sex or opposite-sex. They did not proceed.

Topics covered in this section:

	Background material. Launching the Lewis et. al. v. Harris et. al. lawsuit
	Progress of the lawsuit
	Decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court
	The civil union bill and law
	Conflicting results from public opinion polls
	Is same-sex marriage next?

Reference used:

1. "Sweeping Gay Marriage Lawsuit in New Jersey Aims for U.S. History," Lambda news release, 2002-JUN-26, at: http://www.lambdalegal.org/

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