N.J. Court Grants Rights to Gay Couples
Pastor Dale Morgan
N.J. Court Grants Rights to Gay Couples*
Wednesday October 25, 2006 9:01 PM
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's highest court ruled Wednesday that gay
couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but that
lawmakers must determine whether the state will honor gay marriage or
some other form of civil union.
Advocates on both sides of the issue believed New Jersey posed the best
chance to become only the second after Massachusetts to legalize gay
marriage because its high court has a history of extending civil rights
protections.
Instead, the Supreme Court stopped short of fully approving gay marriage
and gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include
gay couples or create new civil unions.
``The issue is not about the transformation of the traditional
definition of marriage, but about the unequal dispensation of benefits
and privileges to one of two similarly situated classes of people,'' the
court said in its 4-3 ruling.
New Jersey lawmakers voted to allow domestic partnerships in 2004, but
they have been reluctant to delve into the sensitive issue of marriage.
Under domestic partnerships, gay couples have some benefits of marriage,
such as the right to inherit possessions if there is no will and
healthcare coverage for state workers.