 |
| Photo by Nathan Bullock. |
Weddings took place just after midnight in Jersey City, NJ, as marriage equality became the law of the land.
Congratulations to all the happy couples AND to New Jersey!
Marriage equality begins in New Jersey!
New Jersey readies for wedding business boom thanks to marriage equality
Even though it was just this past Friday that the NJ Supreme Court refused to stop marriage equality from beginning on Monday morning, many businesses are already seeing calls and orders for wedding services.
In fact, some economists are predicting a surge of as much as $94 million over the next three years could flood into the New Jersey economy thanks to marriage equality.
Luigi Ficarra, a Maplewood caterer, has already received over a dozen calls to handle same-sex weddings over the next few weeks.
More from NJ.com:
Barry Herman, owner of Barry Herman Entertainment in Livingston, a company that books wedding bands and DJs, said his company has received five calls from same-sex couples.
“There’s always been a market for commitment parties, but now it may become a bigger market since it is different than a commitment party. It’s a wedding,” said Herman.
North Bergen wedding photographer Leslie Barbaro is also anticipating a boom in business. “I got a bump when gay marriage was legalized in Delaware,” she said. “Over the past two years I’ve photographed some very emotional same-sex weddings in Delaware and New York and I’m looking forward to being able to do the same in my home state.”
And many businesses are promoting the fact that they’ve always been happy to serve their customers, whether gay or straight. Check out this bakery in the video below already looking forward to contributing to same-sex weddings.
Congrats New Jersey!
New Jersey: Stay denied! Marriage equality WILL begin Monday
Oh, yeah! Happy dance time!
From Lambda Legal: Today the New Jersey Supreme Court, agreeing with the lower court’s Sept. 27th ruling, denied the State’s motion to postpone allowing same-sex couples to marry. Lambda Legal had filed a brief on behalf of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s statewide LGBT advocacy organization, and six same-sex couples who seek the freedom to marry, asking the Court to deny the motion for a stay.
In today’s decision, the Court wrote:
What is the public’s interest in a case like this? Like Judge Jacobson, we can find no public interest in depriving a group of New Jersey residents of their constitutional right to equal protection while the appeals process unfolds.
New Jersey: 61% want Gov. Christie to stop blocking marriage equality
From MSNBC:
A majority of voters in New Jersey want current Gov. Chris Christie to drop his appeal of a state judge’s ruling that gay and lesbian couples have the right to marry, a new poll found.
Sixty-one percent of the state’s residents oppose the governor’s wish to block marriage equality, and 32% agree with him, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. Opposition to the appeal is 79% among Democrats and 42% among Christie’s fellow Republicans.
Sarah Palin still writing “crib notes” in the palm of her hand
In a throwback to classic Sarah Palin, the Associated Press photographed the former half-term governor of Alaska’s palm with a note to herself as she rallied in New Jersey on Saturday on behalf of Steve Lonegan in the special New Jersey Senate race going on right now:
“We need a leader not a tweeter… That was poem-worthy – I’ve got to remember that one,” she said in her stump speech for candidate Steve Lonegan at the New Egypt Speedway on Saturday.
Lonegan and Booker are running for U.S. Senate in a special election Wednesday to fill the vacancy created by the death of Frank Lautenberg. Palin apparently needed extra help remembering the seven-word rhyme she praised. An AP photographer snapped a picture of the palm of her hand, revealing the words “leader not tweeter” written with a red marker.
Palin made no mention of her own tweeting history and Lonegan’s recently fired strategist who said he had interpreted Booker’s tweets to be a revelation he might be gay. While Booker has 1.4 million followers, Palin has 977,000. Lonegan has 5,200.
In related news, Palin has shared her opinion that the polls are currently lying about Cory Booker’s 12 point lead in the polls.
We shall soon see. The special election happens Wednesday.
Newark Star-Ledger to Gov. Christie on marriage equality – Be on the right side of history by getting out of the way
|
| Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey |
Fantastic op-ed from the editorial board of the Newark Star-Ledger today:
Christie’s words — leave it to voters, not judges or politicians — portray a man who wants history to take its own course, without meddling from the government. His actions, on the other hand, have stonewalled New Jersey’s march toward equality at every turn. Christie could borrow a page from President Obama, who allowed his stance on same-sex marriage to evolve and ultimately dropped the federal government’s defense of the doomed Defense of Marriage Act. Or from Christie’s own party, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who reversed course on same-sex marriage after learning his son is gay.
Christie says New Jersey’s best path toward a marriage equality decision is to hold a referendum. That gives Christie his political out — and leaves the basic rights of gay people subject to the whims of a political campaign. The civil liberties of a minority shouldn’t be subject to majority rule. The popular consensus on same-sex marriage is inevitable. Christie can position himself on the right side of history, in this case, simply by getting out of its way.
(h/t JMG)
New Jersey: Steve Lonegan aide fired after making crass, homophobic comments about Cory Booker
A top aide to New Jersey Republican senate candidate Steve Lonegan has been fired after making comments about Lonegan’s opponent, Cory Booker.
Talking Points Memo has published a interview they conducted with the aide, Rick Shaftan, in which he made several crass and homophobic remarks.
In a profanity-filled assessment of the race delivered via phone Thursday, Rick Shaftan, a senior staffer and key strategist on Lonegan’s campaign, suggested voters would be turned off by Booker’s “odd” behavior including Twitter messages the Democrat sent to a stripper, that Shaftan described as “strange” and “like what a gay guy would say.”
“It was just weird. I mean, to me, you know, hey, if he said, ‘Hey, you got really hot breasts man, I’d love to suck on them.’ Then like, yeah, cool. But like, he didn’t say that,” Shaftan explained. “It was like kind of like, I don’t know, it was like what a gay guy would say to a stripper. It’s the way he was talking to her. It’s just like like there was no sexual interest at all. I don’t know. To me, if I was single and you know like some stripper was tweeting me, I might take advantage of the perks of the office, you know?”
Sounds like a very classy guy, huh?
Shaftan was informed of his termination later that day.
Steve Lonegan issued the following statement soon after: “His comments are distasteful and offensive, and his contract as a vendor for my campaign will be terminated immediately.”
The special election to fill the open US Senate seat will be held this Wednesday.
(via Towleroad)
New Jersey: NOM’s Brian Brown picks another losing battle
With only 3 days left in the campaign, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker 12 points ahead in the polls, Brian Brown of the hate group National Organization for Marriage jumps into another losing battle by throwing out a last minute endorsement of Booker’s opponent, Republican Steve Lonegan:
“Steve Lonegan is a champion for marriage, life and religious liberty and would be a leader in the US Senate for New Jersey families.
“He’s a tenacious campaigner and an even more effective public official. He will get immediately to work to begin to restore the direction of the country.
“Corey Booker expected a coronation, not a close contest. He’s been busy raising money in Hollywood and among the gay lobby, who’ve lavished money on his campaign because he shares their values.
“Meanwhile, Steve Lonegan has worked hard to talk about the real issues impacting New Jersey families, and voters are responding. We hope our independent expenditure effort can help propel him over the top.”
BREAKING: New Jersey Supreme Court to hear marriage equality case
All of a sudden, marriage equality is heading to the New Jersey state Supreme Court.
From the AP:
The state’s highest court on Friday agreed to hear a case on whether gay marriage should be legal and whether same-sex weddings can be performed while it decides.
A lower-court judge ruled last month that the state must legalize same-sex marriage starting Oct. 21, but Gov. Chris Christie’s administration said in a court filing Friday that a single judge should not be able to force New Jersey to do so.
The argument was included in a brief the state submitted in support of its emergency appeal after a state judge refused to delay her order that New Jersey legalize same-sex marriage as of Oct. 21.
“To overhaul such an ancient social institution prematurely, precipitously, or in a manner ultimately deemed unnecessary would injure not only the public interest, but the State that represents this interest,” the state attorney general’s office said in its brief.
The state Supreme Court accepted the case Friday, skipping the normal course of letting an appeals court hear it first. Oral arguments were scheduled for January.
The issue at hand is that the state Supreme Court ruled years ago that New Jersey had to offer at least “equal” rights regarding marital status to LGBT couples. New Jersey passed civil unions as a compromise, but now with DOMA gone civil unions are now not “equal” to marriage because the Federal government doesn’t recognize civil unions as “marriage.”
A few steps will happen here:
1. The plaintiffs – the couples suing New Jersey – have until Tuesday to respond through their lawyers.
2. The NJ Supreme Court may place a stay on the October 21st date to begin marriage equality. Or they may not. We shall see.
3. The Supreme Court would then hear oral arguments on the full case beginning January 6 or 7.
Stay tuned.
New Jersey judge denies Gov. Christie’s request to delay same-sex marriage on October 21st
From the Associated Press:
A New Jersey judge has denied a request from Gov. Chris Christie’s administration to delay the start of gay marriage in the state until after a legal appeal is final.
“Granting a stay would simply allow the state to continue to violate the equal protection rights of New Jersey same-sex couples, which can hardly be considered a public interest,” Judge Mary Jacobson wrote.
The ruling Thursday from Judge Mary Jacobson moves the state a step closer to start recognizing same-sex nuptials on Oct. 21. That’s the day Jacobson had said in a previous ruling that the marriages had to be allowed.
But Christie’s administration is expected to appeal the denial to a higher court. The administration has already asked the state Supreme Court to reverse Jacobson’s earlier ruling that the state has to allow gay couples to get married.