The New Jersey State Bar Association supports A5367 (Vainieri Huttle)/S3416 (Sweeney), which codifies marriage equality in the statutes.
The Association supports this proposed legislation because it codifies marriage equality in New Jersey statutes. As of now, the right to marry emanates from a decision by the Hon. Mary Jacobson, who issued a ruling in Garden State Equality v. Dow, 434 N.J. Super. 163 (Law Div. 2013) that prohibiting same-sex marriages violated the equal protection guarantee of the New Jersey Constitution. Judge Jacobson’s issuance of a summary judgement motion in Dow is the basis of the right of marriage equality today. The bill would codify this right and amend the marriage statute to be gender neutral.
For the reasons set forth above, the New Jersey State Bar Association supports A5367/S3416 and urges you to vote yes on this bill.