The New Jersey State Supreme Court ruled that same-sex same-sex civil unions are constituational, and therefore "must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes.” But the court said that the NJ government will decide whether it's "marriage," taking a stance similar to Vermont. The court's 4-3 ruling stated, "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."
What next? The NJ legislature has 6 months to "either nclude gay couples or create new civil unions." And once that happens, we can imagine it may give Vermont a run for the money when it comes to same-sex marraiges/civil unions. We bet wedding planners and event space owners are really psyched.
Here's a helpful AP Q&A on the matter. The NY Times has a PDF of the decision. And in July, the NY State Court of Appeals rejected gay marriage.
