New Jersey judge strikes down state ban on same-sex marriage

A state judge ruled Friday that New Jersey must permit same-sex couples in the state to marry, saying that the state must comply with the Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled that blocking same-sex couples from marrying would deny them the rights and benefits now guaranteed by the federal government. Judge Jacobson ordered state officials to begin officiating ceremonies on Oct. 21.

“This unequal treatment requires that New Jersey extend civil marriage to same-sex couples to satisfy equal protection guarantees of the New Jersey Constitution as interpreted by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Lewis,” she wrote in her ruling. ”Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law under the New Jersey Constitution.”