LGBT Advocates Team Up for Marriage Equality in New Jersey

A day after the Supreme Court's historic decision to strike down Section 3 of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Lambda Legal announced its plan to file a motion for summary judgment in New Jersey Superior Court on behalf of Garden State Equality and six same-sex couples.

From Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg:

"The demise of DOMA Section 3 means that New Jersey's marriage discrimination is all that bars same-sex couples and their families from the full range of federal rights, benefits, and protections. With this new legal landscape, New Jersey's same-sex couples and their children need swift action. In Lambda Legal's original New Jersey marriage case, Lewis v. Harris, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that it is unconstitutional to give same-sex couples lesser rights than different-sex couples. In 2013, after the defeat of DOMA, there is nothing left to debate - couples in civil unions are not being treated equally under the law."

In June 2011, Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit for marriage equality arguing that barring same-sex couples from marriage and relegating them to civil union violates both the New Jersey Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment of the federal Constitution. In light of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling striking Section 3 of DOMA, next week Lambda Legal will file a motion for summary judgment in the case.

Read the full press release here.

Learn more about our case GSE v. Dow and meet all the plaintiffs and their families here.