New Jersey Supreme Court Says Same-Sex Relationships Must Be Recognized; Name Is Left to Legislature

Breaking News:

The New Jersey Supreme Court has just ruled that same-sex couples must be given the same relationship recognition as opposite-sex couples. They dodged the issue of “marriage,” however, ruling that it is up to the state legislature to determine what to call the relationships:

Denying committed same-sex couples the financial and social benefits and privileges given to their married heterosexual counterparts bears no substantial relationship to a legitimate governmental purpose. The Court holds that under the equal protection guarantee of Article I, Paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, committed samesex couples must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes. The name to be given to the statutory scheme that provides full rights and benefits to samesex couples, whether marriage or some other term, is a matter left to the democratic process.

More details to follow. . . .