The battle over same-sex marriage in New Jersey took another turn Oct 10 with Governor Chris Christie seeking an emergency appeal of a judge’s order allowing gay marriage in the state, WPTV reports.
Judge Mary Jacobson ruled Sept 27 that New Jersey had to allow same-sex marriage, beginning Oct 21. Christie’s administration asked for a stay of the Jacobson ruling and appealed it at the state Supreme Court. But Jacobson rejected the request for a stay, saying it would allow the state to continue violating gay couples’ rights, which “can hardly be considered a public interest,” ABC News reports.
Christie is now asking an appeals court judge to rule on an emergency challenge to Jacobson’s order.
Last year, Christie vetoed a same-sex marriage bill. During a gubernatorial debate earlier in the week, he reiterated his stance that marriage is between a man and a woman and that changes to the law ought to be decided by popular vote, not by the legislature or mandated by court order, according to a USA Today report.
New Jersey permits gay civil unions.
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