Posted on 08/17/2006 2:23:16 PM PDT by Coleus
(AP) — As they await a New Jersey Supreme Court decision on gay marriage in the Garden State, social conservatives say they are prepared to take the fight to the ballot box if they lose in the legal arena.
"If we get to an imminent threat, if we get to the point where marriage is going to be decided by the court, shouldn't we get to weigh in an issue of such magnitude?" said Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council.
Like advocates for gay marriage, New Jersey's conservative lobbyists and lawmakers are gearing up for a political battle in the aftermath of the court's ruling in the landmark case of Lewis v. Harris, in which seven gay couples contend not letting them marry is a violation of the state constitution. A decision could come any time and is expected by Oct. 25, the day before Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz turns 70 and is required to retire. New Jersey is one of only five states without a specific ban on gay marriage. But municipal clerks in the state cannot grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples because the state Attorney General's Office has said that same-sex marriage is not lawful. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit say they should be able to get marriage licenses.
Whichever side loses in court will be at a disadvantage when they turn to the political arena to plead their case: The losers will try to persuade lawmakers to act. The winning side simply can ask the Legislature to do nothing. Several of the state's most prominent politicians, including Gov. Jon Corzine, have said while they do not favor gay marriage, they oppose amending the constitution to ban it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
You mean you can breathe through your nose now? Lucky you.
They're still here. And they're still bashing Christian conservatives. They've just "progressed" to other topics. They don't know they're liberals. They think they're "progressive." Some of them even think they're conservative, because they have the negative characteristics that other "progressives" call conservatism. Such as bigotry and greed. Look around. We even have some of them here.
I hate to say it but NJ is a lost cause. With one of the highest property taxes in the country, we elect a tax and spend liberal for governor, yeah that's gonna help.
Conservatives should flee that godforsaken state and let it drown in the Atlantic
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.