“The Court holds that under the equal protection guarantee of Article I, Paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, committed same-sex 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 same-sex couples, whether marriage or some other term, is a matter left to the democratic process.”
In other words, they followed Vermont.
The legislature has 180 days to create a framework.
Here is the decision.
All 7 in favor of equal rights and benefits, 4 in favor of giving the legislature 180 days to do something, 3 in favor of using the term “marriage” now.
I think this will make political waves that it was essentially 7-0. That surprised me, even for what I’ve read about the liberal nature of New Jersey’s court.