The swift passage of the civil-union measure - seen as a compromise to satisfy a state Supreme Court mandate to extend marriage rights to gay couples - has drawn fire from both sides of the debate.

"We're in a hurry to get this behind us because it's a political hot potato," said Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R., Bergen), a gay-marriage opponent. "We're changing a basic fabric of society. We should take the time to do it right."

Only Massachusetts allows gay couples to marry, but three states - Vermont, Connecticut and California - afford some marriage rights to gays. Some New Jersey lawmakers have said they are moving quickly on civil unions because full marriage rights would not make it through the Legislature, regardless of how long they debated the issue.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, disagreed, saying gay marriage gains more support every day. He pointed to Sen. Robert Martin (R., Morris), who suggested in the committee meeting yesterday that a same-sex union should be called a "civil marriage."
