• Civil marriage equality in effect at the state level since 2013. (Same-sex couples may legally marry.)

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

• New Jersey was one of the first states to implement domestic partnerships, after California, in 2003.
• In 2006, marriage equality advocates sued to obtain full marriage, as opposed to DP's, in the case, Lewis v. Harris. The judges struck down the domestic partnership arrangement, and split four to three to allow the legislature to pass civil unions instead of allowing same-sex marriage.
• In December 2006, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill providing for civil unions and recognizing civil unions from other states.
• In 2012, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, however, it was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie.
• In September 2013, a judge of the Superior Court ruled in Garden State Equality v. Dow that as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2013 decision in Windsor v. United States, New Jersey's constitution requires the state to recognize same-sex marriages.