On October 21, 2013 same-sex marriages became legal in New Jersey following a hard-fought campaign in which UUs across the state were involved. UU FaithAction worked closely with Garden State Equality and New Jersey United for Marriage to encourage our members to attend rallies, visit legislators, and send letters in support of same-sex marriage. Many congregations were open in the wake of this historic event to officiate marriages.
Background
The stage was set for the demise of New Jersey civil unions in June of 2013 when the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in U.S. v. Windsor finding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional in excluding same-sex couples from the federal benefits afforded to opposite-sex couples. That decision prompted new action in Garden State Equality v. Dow, litigation pending in New Jersey challenging the premise that civil unions were equal to marriage as required by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2006. In September. In September of 2013 the judge ruled that, in the wake of U.S. v. Windsor, New Jersey’s constitution required that the State recognize same-sex marriage. She ordered marriages to begin on October 21, 2013. Although the State appealed the court’s ruling, the appeal was withdrawn after the State’s request for a stay of that order was denied by the trial judge and then the New Jersey Supreme Court. Our long fight for marriage equality finally succeeded.
James DeBoer has put together a Marriage Equality Guide available as a handout for coffee hour or to give to any couple looking for more information. It explains most of the questions that arise concerning same-sex marriage in New Jersey as of now.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this campaign so successful. The grass roots pressure that was created in local districts through visits, letters and phone calls helped set the state for dropping the court appeal. Marriage Equality is now the law in New Jersey.
Policy Brief
Historic Links
- Allow Equal Access to Marriage by Rev. Carol Haag
Letter published January 19, 2012 in the Times of Trenton - New Jersey UUs Bring Faithful Witness to Struggle for Marriage Equality
- UUA and Marriage Equality
- UUA’s Standing on the Side of Love initiative
In keeping with our principles, as marriage equality does not require the attention it did in earlier years, it has been removed as a priority issue to allow us to focus on other important areas.