August 2, 2013
NJ to File Defense of Civil Unions Vs Gay Marriage
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Lawyers for New Jersey are expected to defend the state's civil unions for same-sex couples as opposed to gay marriage.
Legal papers are due Friday in a lawsuit filed by gay couples and their children who say New Jersey's civil unions fall short of a court mandate that gay couples be treated the same as married couples.
The suit was expedited after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that invalidated key parts of a federal law banning same-sex marriage.
The advocates say New Jersey is now blocking them from getting rights granted by the federal government.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 15.
