Free Republic

TRENTON, Sept. 3 - Gov. James E. McGreevey's uncharted, uncertain journey toward resignation reached two important milestones in recent days, yet with each new fact that emerged, the entire ordeal seemed to grow more puzzling. The first came on Monday, when lawyers for Golan Cipel, the former aide who prompted the resignation by threatening to file a lawsuit against Mr. McGreevey alleging harassment and sexual assault, announced that he would not sue the governor after all. Then at midnight Friday, Mr. McGreevey - who vows to remain in office until Nov. 15 and allow the Senate president to complete the...

Same-sex couples do not have a constitutionally protected right to marry, lawyers for the state argued yesterday in court papers responding to a lawsuit brought by seven gay couples alleging the state's marriage laws are discriminatory. If homosexuals want the right to marry, they should make their case to the Legislature, not the courts, Patrick DeAlmeida, assistant attorney general argued in a brief filed in the Appellate Division of Superior Court. After being turned down in their quest to obtain marriage licenses in June 2002, seven gay couples filed a lawsuit alleging they are being deprived of various legal rights...

Golan Cipel won't file a sexual-harassment suit against New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, his lawyers said yesterday — but the Israeli still insists he is the wronged victim of unwanted advances. Attorneys Rachel Yosevitz and Allen Lowy told a hastily called news conference the governor's resignation announcement was sufficient admission of wrongdoing — and money was never the issue for Cipel. "Had the governor not resigned and admitted his wrongdoings, Mr. Cipel emphatically stated that he would have sued," said Yosevitz, who just returned from visiting McGreevey's former homeland-security adviser in Israel. Cipel, 36, "has no desire to have the...

GOP turns up heat on McGreevey to leave Mike Lavers, PlanetOut Network Friday, August 27, 2004 / 05:37 PM With a federal judge scheduled to hear arguments early next month on whether New Jersey should hold a special election after Gov. James E. McGreevey unexpectedly resigned on Aug. 12, Republicans have stepped up their calls for him to leave office immediately. At a press conference in Hackensack on Wednesday, the New Jersey Republican State Committee, along with the Republican National Committee (RNC), unveiled a new 30-second television ad urging McGreevey to step down and allow voters to choose the state's...