.jpg)
Marsha Shapiro and Louise Walpin married each other for the third time early Monday. But this time, it was especially memorable: They were among the first to tie the knot after same-sex marriage became legal in New Jersey.
A rabbi first "married" the couple in 1992 in a Jewish ceremony. They married a second time in New York in August 2012 after same-sex marriage became legal there.
The third time was just
after midnight Thursday in the Garden State. The couple helped pave the
way there through a 2011 lawsuit that brought about the change. New
Jersey now becomes the 14th state to recognize gay marriages.
Shapiro and Walpin were married in the home of state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, who championed same-sex marriage in the legislature.
Same-sex weddings after rulings
Photos: Reaction to same-sex marriage rulings
Christie withdraws appeal on gay marriage
Throughout the state other gay couples exchanged vows in early morning ceremonies.
At the Newark City Hall,
Mayor Cory Booker married seven couples, two of them heterosexual. He
had refused to conduct any marriage ceremonies until same-sex marriages
were legal in the state.
"It is officially past midnight," Booker said. "Marriage is equal in New Jersey."
Chris Christie drops challenge to same-sex marriages
High court clears the way
On Friday, the New Jersey Supreme Court denied the state's request to temporarily prevent such marriages.
Troy Stevenson,
executive director of the gay rights group Garden State Equality, said
last week that the high court's decision means "the door is open for
love, commitment and equality under the law."
"This is a huge victory
for New Jersey's same-sex couples and their families," added Hayley
Gorenberg, deputy legal director of gay rights group Lambda Legal and
the organization's lead attorney on the case. "Take out the champagne
glasses -- wedding bells will soon be ringing in New Jersey!"
That enthusiasm was not shared by everyone.
"It is extremely
disappointing that the New Jersey Supreme Court has allowed the ruling
of an activist judge to stand pending its appeal through the court
system," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for
Marriage, last week. "All in all, today's ruling is another sad chapter
in watching our courts usurp the rights of voters to determine issues
like this for themselves."
Gov. Chris Christie's
administration appealed, and asked the court to delay, a lower court's
September 27 order that the state must allow same-sex couples to marry
beginning October 21, rather than give them the label "civil union."
The appeal will be heard
in January. But the state Supreme Court on Friday declined to delay the
September order in the meantime, writing that "the state has not shown a
reasonable probability that it will succeed on the merits" of the
appeal.
"When a party presents a
clear case of ongoing unequal treatment, and asks the court to
vindicate constitutionally protected rights, a court may not sidestep
its obligation to rule for an indefinite amount of time," the 20-page
decision read. "Under those circumstances, courts do not have the option
to defer."
Where sex-same marriage is legal
New Jersey has
recognized civil unions between same-sex couples since 2007, after the
New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the state must allow same-sex
couples all the rights and benefits of marriage. As far as state rights
and benefits went, civil unions and marriages differed only in label.
Three states offer civil unions, but not marriage, to same-sex couples. They are Colorado, Hawaii and Illinois.
Same-sex marriage is now
legal in 14 U.S states -- California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington -- as well as the
District of Columbia.
Same-sex marriage is banned in every state not mentioned above, except for New Mexico, which has no laws banning or allowing it.
0 Comments