New Jersey Judge, Mary C. Jacobson, ruled that the state must allow same-sex couples to marry because not doing so deprives them of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Supreme Court when it overthrew the Defense of Marriage Act.
This is the first time a court has used the Supreme Court ruling to strike down state law defending traditional marriage, and could set a precedence for other courts in other states.
The battle in New Jersey has been rather intense. Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill last year that would have permitted same-sex couples to marry. He is likely to ask for a stay preventing same-sex marriages (to begin October 21) while his office appeals the ruling.
Declaring that “the ineligibility of same-sex couples for federal benefits is currently harming same-sex couples in New Jersey in a wide range of contexts,” Judge Mary C. Jacobson of State Superior Court in Mercer County wrote, “same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law under the New Jersey Constitution.”
Gay rights advocates were “thrilled” with the decision and openly said that it would help fuel the argument that marriage is a fundamental right for gay couples. Other plaintiffs in other states will certainly use the argument that the state stands in the way of same-sex couples’ access to some federal benefits.
The rush to the moral bottom is taking America away from its moral roots and transforming it into Sodom.
“Likewise, as it was in the days of Lot…” Luke 17:28