Backers of an effort to override New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie's veto of a gay marriage bill said Monday that they are 3
votes closer to their goal.
Assembly members Wayne DeAngelo and Gabriela Mosquera, both
Democrats, and Holly Schepisi, a Republican, signaled in a Times
of Trenton story that they would support the override effort.
Schepisi told the paper that her deciding factor was the Supreme
Court's June decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), which prevented federal agencies from recognizing the legal
marriages of gay and lesbian couples. The decision left New Jersey
gay couples in a civil union on an unequal footing to those in a
marriage who are able to access federal benefits.
Lobbying for the override is New Jersey United for Marriage.
“Assemblywoman Schepisi said it: The Supreme Court's decision to
throw out DOMA was a game-changer. It's now clear that New Jersey's
civil union law doesn't do what it's supposed to do. As legislators
who respect the national and state constitutions, you should want to
address that problem,” the group said in a written pitch to
lawmakers.
“It's going to be part of your legacy, one way or another. If
it happens because of the courts, and not because of your vote, it
will be a part of history that you can't change. Do you really want
to have to explain a few years from now – when marriage equality
will be in the mainstream, not even in the discussion any longer –
why you resisted it to the end?”
Supporters need to find 9 more votes in the Assembly and 3 in the
Senate before January to beat Christie's veto.