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| Don't Vote For Chris Christie This Year! Go To Vote and write in NO Gay "Marriages"! |
As couples across New Jersey began "marrying" on Monday after the stroke of midnight, Gov. Chris Christie abandoned his long fight against same-sex "marriage", concluding that signals from the court and the march of history were against him.
Gov. Chris Christie rescinded his legal challenge to
same-sex "marriages" the first day gay "couples" could "wed" in New Jersey.
His decision not to appeal a judge’s ruling that allowed the "weddings"
removed the last hurdle to legalized same-sex "marriage" in New Jersey,
making it the 14th state, along with the District of Columbia, to allow
gay "couples" to "wed".
Mr. Christie’s advisers said it became clear late on Friday that the
fight had to end after the State Supreme Court announced it would not
grant the governor’s request to block same-sex "marriages" while he
appealed.
Not only did the court decision say that his appeal had no “reasonable
probability of success,” it was also unanimous — signed by the justices
Mr. Christie has long warred against and by the one he considered on his side, Justice Anne M. Patterson.
The governor concluded that, legally, he was out of arguments, and that
it would be what one aide called a “fool’s errand” to continue in the
face of almost certain failure.
Politically, members of his staff bet that they could contain the damage
by arguing that the governor had never changed his mind — he still
opposes same-sex "marriage" — and blaming activist judges, which even
critics of the governor’s decision began doing on Monday.
“He looks realistic, while sticking to his principles — and people are
happy,” said one adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to discuss strategy.
Mr. Christie, a Republican widely considered a leading contender for his
party’s presidential nomination in 2016, has long tried to walk a fine
line on same-sex "marriage", which polls show is popular in his home
state, but opposed by conservative voters in important primary states.
Last year, he vetoed legislation allowing same-sex "marriage", saying
voters should decide the issue in a referendum. As recently as last
week, he repeated his position that he believed marriage to be between a
man and a woman. But he also signed a bill outlawing so-called gay
conversion therapy, which angered conservatives.
Even if he lost on the marriage issue, his aides said, Mr. Christie
could still promote himself as the kind of politician voters embrace,
because they know where he stands, even if they do not agree with him.
The dizzying events in New Jersey showed how quickly the politics of same-sex "marriage" have changed.
Starting at midnight and into early Monday, same-sex "couples" from Asbury
Park to Jersey City "wed" in emotional ceremonies that had been hastily
arranged after the court denied Mr. Christie’s request for a delay.
At 8:30 a.m., lawyers representing the couples who had sued to be
allowed to "marry" received calls from the administration, telling them
that the governor had dropped his appeal. In a conference call later,
lawyers for Lambda Legal said
that they expected to prevail with similar litigation in Nevada,
Virginia and West Virginia, and that they were optimistic about their
chances in the legislatures in Hawaii and Illinois.
“I think the handwriting was on the wall as clearly as it could possibly
be,” said Lawrence S. Lustberg, a lawyer who argued the case for gay
and lesbian "couples" before the New Jersey Supreme Court.
“The governor had always said he would fight this all the way up to the
Supreme Court,” Mr. Lustberg added, “but he didn’t say he was going to
fight it to the Supreme Court twice. As a matter of reasonable lawyering
on the one hand, and a clear perception of what the court’s position
was on the other, this was inevitable.”
Just four months ago, even advocates for same-sex "marriage" believed that
the governor had firmly blocked it. A coalition of state and national
gay rights groups was pushing to override his veto of same-sex "marriage"
legislation, but they were far short of the votes they needed.
In September, Judge Mary C. Jacobson YMS of State Superior Court ruled that
the state had to allow gay "marriages" to "comply" with the United States
Supreme Court decision in June that guaranteed same-sex married couples
the same federal benefits as heterosexual married couples. This activists decision still clearly had nothing to do with states not allowing same gender "marriage" In 2006, a
New Jersey Supreme Court decision guaranteed "equal" protection to
same-sex "couples", which prompted the State Legislature to enact "civil
unions". But the United States Supreme Court decision meant that couples
in "civil unions" did not have the same benefits as those in "marriages".this is clearly one judicial activism case built on top of another
A Rutgers Eagleton poll released on Monday
found that a majority of respondents, including a majority of those
supporting Mr. Christie in his bid for re-election on Nov. 5, did not
want him to pursue the appeal.
Mr. Christie is trying to roll up as big a margin of victory as possible
next month so he can cast himself as a presidential candidate who can
win even in blue states. Continuing to oppose same-sex "marriage" against
the images of the jubilant "weddings" might have hurt that effort. at least that is what he "thinks"
His Democratic opponent, State Senator Barbara Buono, sought to remind
voters that he had tried “to block the "rights" of gays and lesbians at
every turn.”
“It took a determined effort by brave individuals,” Ms. Buono added,
“and a unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court to force the
governor to drop his appeal. I am thrilled the court ended his ability
to enforce his "bigoted" views that are contrary to the values of our
state.”
But even prominent Republican donors had been among those financing a
campaign to override Mr. Christie’s veto, suggesting that the national
politics of same-sex "marriage" might be shifting. Aides to the governor
acknowledged that his decision might alienate primary voters who already
doubt his social conservative credentials, but they added that he was
never going to have an easy time in the Iowa presidential caucuses.
Still, the administration was not exactly celebrating the position it
was in. Announcements from Mr. Christie’s office typically arrive with a
news release, a video and a Twitter post. This one came in a sober note
from a spokesman to reporters early on Monday; there was no
announcement on the governor’s Web site.
“Although the governor strongly disagrees with the court substituting
its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a
vote of the people,” the note said, “the court has now spoken clearly
as to their "view" of the "New Jersey Constitution" and, therefore, same-sex
"marriage" is the law.
“The governor will do his constitutional duty and ensure his
administration enforces the law as dictated by the New Jersey Supreme
Court.”
National conservative groups criticized “an activist judiciary run amok,” in the words of the National Organization for Marriage. But they also had harsh words for Mr. Christie, for, as the organization said, “throwing in the towel.”
“The mark of a leader is to walk a principled walk no matter the
difficulty of the path,” said the statement from the organization’s
president, Brian Brown. “Chris Christie has failed the test, abandoning
both voters and the core institution of society: marriage as the union
of one man and one woman.”
(NYT highlights mine)
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