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A New Jersey judge today denied Gov. Chris Christie's appeal to halt the implementation of a ruling declaring the state must recognize marriage equality, reports the Associated Press.
Judge Mary Jacobson, who issued the September ruling that declared New Jersey must allow same-sex couples to begin marrying by October 21, denied a request from the Republican governor to delay the implementation of her ruling while the governor's appeal works its way through the state court system.
"Granting a stay would simply allow the state to continue to violate the equal protection rights of New Jersey same-sex couples, which can hardly be considered a public interest," Jacobson wrote, according to the AP. Jacobson also denied the request because, she wrote, she doesn't believe the state is likely to win its appeal, and embracing marriage equality would not harm the state of New Jersey.
Christie's administration is expected to appeal this latest decision to a higher court, and in fact, has already asked the state Supreme Court to consider Jacobson's September ruling.
Jacobson cited the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 ruling in U.S. v. Windsor in her original ruling, finding that New Jersey could not legally deny the benefits of marriage to same-sex spouses now that the federal government has made those benefits available to all legally married couples, regardless of jurisdiction.
Thirteen states, including most of the Northeast and the District of Columbia, allow same-sex couples to marry. New Jersey allows same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, and in 2012 passed a marriage equality bill out of both chambers of the state legislature with bipartisan support. But Christie vetoed that bill in February of last year, saying he believes the issue should be decided by New Jersey voters.
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Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
