 Same-sex marriages will begin within days in New Jersey after the state's highest court ruled unanimously Friday to uphold a lower-court order that gay weddings must start Monday and to deny a delay that was sought by the state popular Republican governor, Chris Christie. A state lawmaker had asked the state attorney general's office Thursday whether the normal 72-hour waiting period would apply for same-sex couples seeking to get married Monday if no stay was granted. And are gay and lesbian couples that have wed legally elsewhere automatically considered married in New Jersey, or do they have to fill out forms and pay fees, too? In Lambertville, Councilwoman Beth Asaro and Joanne Schailey -- the first same-sex couple to obtain a civil union in 2006 -- also plan to marry early Monday. Carty and his partner have been together 20 years and had a civil union ceremony 10 years ago, but Carty said he never thought he'd see same-sex marriage in New Jersey. After those topics are decided, another big hypothetical question looms: What happens to the status of same-sex marriages entered into now if the court decides next year that the state does not have to grant marriage to gay couples? Christie went to court to challenge a lower-court ruling that legalized gay marriage in New Jersey last month, and had asked the Supreme Court to postpone the first same-sex weddings until he was finished appealing. Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled Sept. 27 that same-sex couples were being denied equal rights and hundreds of federal benefits in the wake of a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June striking down the Defense of Marriage Act. Since then, gay rights advocates have asked New Jersey judges to force the state to recognize same-sex marriage, arguing that the state's current policy of granting gay couples civil unions but not marriage licenses amounts to denying those couples federal protections such as Social Security survivor benefits and the right to file tax returns jointly. Christie says he favors civil unions and says that allowing same-sex marriage is something that should be done only by a public vote, not the state's judges or lawmakers. The Supreme Court agreed to fast-track Christie’s appeal and has scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 6 or 7. Since July, gay rights groups have also engaged in an intense campaign aimed at persuading lawmakers to override Christie's 2012 veto of a bill that would have allowed gay marriage. To get an override, the Legislature must act by Jan. 14. The state’s highest court has already ruled that same-sex couples in New Jersey must get all the same rights and benefits as opposite-sex married couples, but in that 2006 case, Lewis v. Harris, they stopped short of calling for marriage rights.
– Not even Chris Christie could block gay couples from reaching the altar. The state Supreme Court in New Jersey ruled 7-0 today to uphold a judge's decision that gay marriages can begin there on Monday, at least for now, NJ.com reports. The court will make a final ruling next year. "The state has advanced a number of arguments, but none of them overcome this reality: Same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under the law today," the court ruled, reports the AP. "The harm to them is real, not abstract or speculative." In September, a state superior court judge ruled that New Jersey's same-sex couples were losing out on federal benefits and equal rights since the US struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. Gov. Christie appealed, saying gay marriage should only be allowed by public vote. He also accused the Obama administration of denying rights to same-sex couples by not extending them to civil unions, which are considered equal in New Jersey. USA Today notes that with today's ruling, 13 states have recognized gay marriage.