This action puts added pressure on Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who has publicly vowed to veto any same-sex legislation, and instead has called on state lawmakers to put the issue before the voters on the November 2012 ballot.

Should the Governor make good with his promise to reject the bill, lawmakers from both parties acknowledge that the legislation will need to win the support of two-thirds of both houses -- the threshold for overriding a governor's veto.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll found New Jersey voters support same-sex marriage by a margin of 52 to 42 percent.

More than 38 states ban or refuse to recognize same sex marriage, but six states, along with the District of Columbia, allow it. Same-sex marriage is legal in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa.

New Jersey has allowed same-sex civil unions since 2007.

Chris Christie

“New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie moved to diversify the state’s all-white Supreme Court on Monday by proposing two firsts: the nominations of an openly gay black man [Bruce Harris] and a Korean-born law enforcer to fill two vacancies.

“‘I am proud to be standing here today to announce two historic nominations to the New Jersey State Supreme Court,’ Christie said, expressing ‘extreme confidence in their records and respect for their intellect.’”

At the governor’s news conference, Harris thanked the governor, then said, “I also want to thank my partner Mark for his nearly 32 years of love and support.”

Christie is not considered a moderate. He’s a national rising star of right-wing Republicans but he’s smart and ahead of his fellow party members in understanding that LGBT issues no longer matter to the general population — including Republicans.

In other words, you can’t scare the public with the gay issue anymore since they no longer are afraid to have us as neighbors. In fact, most Americans want us as their neighbors and pollsters have discovered that 47 percent of strong conservative Republicans would vote for an LGBT person running for office.

With a generation that has grown up with openly gay friends about to enter the voting system, the handwriting is on the wall.

Rick Santorum

Now Christie is not for full equality. He’s doing exactly what this column predicted just a few weeks ago: drawing a line in the sand on
equality. Domestic partners and civil unions are all OK — but marriage is for one man and one woman only.

All one has to do is watch the Republican primaries and see this working itself into the Republican fabric. As I stated before, enjoy this Republican race and watch Rick Santorum.

In this race, Santorum is like George Wallace,
the last proud racist to run for president. For Santorum, he’ll be the last proud homophobe to run for president.

And like Wallace, he’ll become an outcast in his own party. Wallace eventually apologized, but Santorum is too arrogant to apologize for the hate he has spun.

Back to the Garden State. Here’s the fun part: If Christie vetoes New Jersey’s marriage-equality bill, it’s likely that a pending marriage-equality case will make it’s way to the New Jersey Supreme Court, where Christie’s appointee will cast a vote on equality.

We are living in exciting and historic times.

After three hours of testimony, the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure on an 8-4 party-line vote.

Earlier this month, Democrats introduced the bill, S1, the first in the new legislative session and a symbol of their commitment to passing marriage equality legislation.

In today's hearing, same-sex marriage equality advocates focused on the state's current civil unions law, which has led to legal inadequacies particularly in areas pertaining to survivor benefits, hospital visitation, or child custody issues.

During his testimony, Daniel Weiss -- who is currently a lead plaintiff in a marriage equality lawsuit filed in New Jersey Superior Court last June -- told lawmakers that when he was summoned to a hospital in New York City after his spouse John Grant was hit by a car and sustained life-threatening injuries, Weiss said the brain surgeon asked him; “What is a civil union?"

Opponents' arguments included claims that same-sex marriage redefines the traditional centuries old meaning of marriage and numerous quotes from the Bible condemning homosexuality.

There were also statements that, even with broad religious exemptions written into the proposed law -- protecting religious organizations the rights to not to solemnize same-sex weddings or provide facilities for their celebration -- the bill would still threaten religious freedom.

Meanwhile, in a town-hall meeting in Bridgewater, N.J., Christie told the audience that an issue of such magnitude should be decided by the voters, a position held when he campaigned for office in 2009.

"Let's make sure that political maneuvering is not what judges this and let's make sure this is not someone just trying to have fun and create a campaign issue," Christie said. "The institution of marriage if too serious to be treated like a political football."

[...]

"I think this is not an issue that should rest solely in my hands, or the hands of the Senate President or the Speaker or the other 118 members of the Legislature," he said. "Let's let the people of New Jersey decide what is right for the state."

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, one of the measure's Democratic sponsors, said civil rights issues like the right to marry are guaranteed under the state's constitution and do not require a public vote.

"Civil rights is not to be placed on the ballot. It’s to be voted on by the people in this house," Sweeney said.

In Newark, Mayor Cory Booker agreed, and said he is firmly against leaving the question of gay marriage up to a referendum.

"I shudder to think what would have happened if the civil rights gains, heroically established by courageous lawmakers in the 1960s, were instead conveniently left up to popular votes in our 50 states," Booker said in a statement.

Sweeney stated that enough votes exist to pass the bill in the Senate, and a floor vote is tentatively scheduled for February 13.

Democratic leaders in both chambers of the legislature are working with GOP counterparts to muster the two-thirds majority required to override the Governor's promised veto. In the Senate, a sole Republican senator publicly supports the bill, and the veto threat from Christie holds the potential to make other members of the GOP caucus wary about crossing the governor.

A spokesman for Christie told LGBTQ Nation on Tuesday afternoon that as far as the Governor is concerned, he believes in traditional marriage.

Bruce Harris

Harris, 61, a graduate of Yale Law School, was elected mayor of the borough of Chatham, N.J., in November, and sworn into the office just weeks ago -- at the time, he was believed to be the first openly gay, black Republican mayor in the country.

If confirmed by the state Senate, Harris would be the third African-American to be seated on the court, and the first openly gay justice in New Jersey. His partner of 32 years, Marc Boisclair, attended the announcement.

Currently only six openly gay justices sit on state Supreme Courts nationwide, according to Victory Fund, a Washington D.C., group that supports political campaigns of gay candidates.

Steve Goldstein, chief executive of Garden State Equality, a gay rights organization, said he was stunned when Christie called to tell him about the imminent nomination of Harris.

"As I told the governor right then and there, you could have picked me up off the floor," Goldstein said. "Bruce is eminently qualified to be a Supreme Court justice."

Christie also nominated Phil Kwon, 44, to the state's high court -- Kwon is a Korean-American assistant attorney general.

"I am honored to nominate these two gentlemen," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference. "I trust the Senate will take into account their extraordinary backgrounds and experience and will give them swift hearings.”

In it's opinion piece, the editor's wrote:

It is heartening to see Democrats rally for a second charge on gay marriage after their failure to pass the measure in the days before Gov. Chris Christie took charge.

But let’s face it: This is not likely to succeed while Christie remains in office. He will veto it, as promised, and obedient Republicans in the Legislature will fall in line behind him, as always.

That’s the political lay of the land for the next two years, at least. If Christie wins re-election, this stalemate could drag on for six years. To most New Jersey citizens, that is simply not acceptable.

According to sources in Trenton, the governor is not saying what he’ll do in terms of the same-sex marriage bill, which the Democratic legislative leadership considers a major priority for this year's session.

“They have a right to set their agenda, I’ll set mine, we’ll see who gets there first,” Christie said to reporters at an event in Camden. “When forced to make a decision, if forced to make a decision on it, I’ll make a decision.”

Christie has said previously that he favors the state’s civil unions law that was adopted in 2003.

The Star-Ledger continued:

It is clear by now the civil union law has failed to deliver equal rights. And the problem is not just the documented cases of gay couples facing discrimination in hospitals, workplaces or the insurance market.

The term “civil union” suggests that gay couples are somehow not worthy of full marriage, that they cannot be allowed to enter this club, that their sexual orientations make them second-class citizens. Dress it up all you want, that view is offensive on its face. The message it sends to gay couples and their children is toxic.

But in the debate over the possibility of passage of the same-sex law, one prominent Democratic lawmaker said he will not change his vote.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), who opposed the bill, said he supports strengthening the civil union law, but stops short of wanting to call it marriage.

“I deeply respect the civil liberties and rights of all New Jerseyeans, but I also believe that marriage over the centuries has been unique between a man and a woman,” said Van Drew. “I am am willing to work diligently to make civil unions contractually and legally more effective, but I will not be voting for marriage equality," Van Drew said.

The Star-Ledger editorial finished with:

So what is to be done? Sponsors of the gay marriage bill hope they can win new converts in the next few months, enough to override Christie’s expected veto. Some even hope the governor will change his mind. That would be the ideal outcome.

[...]

But if all else fails, a constitutional amendment is worth a try as a last resort. Polls show New Jersey voters are ready to approve marriage equality today. And the tide is clearly moving in that direction, especially among young people. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shown that it can be a popular cause, even in states with large Catholic populations such as New York and New Jersey.

This fight has been long and difficult, as winning civil rights for minority groups always is.

But the day will come when gay couples in New Jersey won’t have to look across the Hudson River and dream about equal treatment under the law.

They’ll have it right here at home — whether the governor likes it, or not.

The announcement indicates a likely confrontation with the state's Republican Governor Chris Christie, who has indicated that he will veto any such measure.

The bill, known as the “Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act,” will be introduced with the symbolic designation of S-1 to indicate its status as the first order of business. Senate president Steve Sweeney, Senator Raymond Lesniak, and Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, will serve as prime sponsors.

“This is about doing what’s right and ensuring full equal and civil rights for all New Jerseyans,” said Sweeney. “Two years ago, I made a mistake in abstaining on marriage equality — a mistake that means same-sex couples continue to be denied the very basic civil right to live their lives as they wish. But today isn’t about me correcting my mistake, it’s about correcting a mistake for thousands of loving couples across the state who want nothing more than to be treated equally as their neighbors.”

Leaders also plan to fast-track the measure in the Assembly, where the bill will be known as A-1. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver pledged to move the bill in a statement saying:

“This is the same wrong message we heard from segregation laws,” she said. “Separate treatment was wrong then. And separate treatment is wrong now. That’s why I am committed this session to posting marriage equality legislation and making its passage a priority as soon as possible.”

Should this measure pass both houses, the leadership acknowledged that it is unclear whether the legislature would be able to muster the two-thirds majority required to override the Governor's veto.

Senator Sweeney told reporters; “If the governor cannot raise himself by signing a law to ensure a basic civil right for all residents, we would hope that he would not lower himself by vetoing it,” said Sweeney.

Reed Gusciora, the first openly gay member of the New jersey's legislature, addressed the political implications for the Governor:

“In recent months, Governor Christie has been to four out of the six states that recognize same-sex marriages: Iowa, New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts,” said Gusciora. “Moreover, when he visits Washington DC he is in a city that also recognizes such relationships. And in none of these places, has he seen any diminishment of the institution of marriage other than perhaps when he is in the presence of Newt Gingrich.”

New Jersey could become the seventh state in the United States to enact same-sex marriage equality, New York. Last week Washington's Governor Chris Gregoire,(D) signaled her intention to prioritize same-sex marriage equality in her state's legislation session this year, and Maryland's Governor Martin O’Malley has said he will push for a similar same-sex marriage bill as that state begins its session.

Chris Christie

In her Facebook post, Vicki Knox -- a special-education teacher with more than 20 years of experience -- described homosexuality as “perverted” and a “sin” that “breeds like cancer.”

Appearing on WABC Radio's Joe Crummey Show, Christie (R), said, "I think that kind of example is not a positive one at all to be setting for folks who have such an important and influential position in our society. I'm really concerned about those kinds of statements being made."

"I would like to see an examination of how that teacher conducts herself in the classroom because I think that's extraordinarily important too," Christie added.

Christie said he found the comments Knox made disturbing and then he renewed his call to overhaul teacher evaluations along with the state 's current tenure system.

Christie is advocating that a review process be implemented which would include in-classroom evaluations and standardized testing establishing a standard of re-certification for New Jersey's teachers every three years instead of the current life-time tenure system that is in place.

The New Jersey Star-Ledger has reported that the uproar over Knox began two weeks ago when she posted comments on her public Facebook page critical of a LGBT History Month display at Union High School.

The district launched an investigation last week to determine whether Knox’s conduct violated any school policies. Knox has retained an attorney Friday through her union, the New Jersey Education Association.

In an earlier post, Knox had called on students in her Seekers Fellowship Bible study group to pray.

“Well, the enemy is making it clear and plain as day what Seekers Fellowship needs to pray about/against,” Knox wrote beneath a photo of the display.

Watch:

The new law will require training for most public school employees on how to spot bullying and mandate that all districts form “school safety teams” to review complaints.

It will also require school Superintendents to report incidents of bullying to the state Board of Education or face disciplinary action. Students who bully, harass or intimidate other students could be suspended or expelled.

The measure, passed by New Jersey lawmakers last November, fills gaps in the state’s first anti-bullying law, passed in 2002, that encouraged school districts to set up anti-bullying programs but did not mandate it.

“This is one of the great civil rights laws in New Jersey history, and to have a fairly conservative Republican governor sign it sends a resounding signal to other states,” said Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality.

The bill has been in the works for some time but gained attention after the high-profile suicide of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, who jumped to his death after his roommate allegedly streamed a romantic encounter between him and another man online.

The law goes into effect at the start of the next school year, and applies to public schools; portions of the new law apply to public colleges as well.

Garden State Equality March (NJ.com photo)

A bill to legalize gay marriage in New Jersey was left in limbo this week when the state Assembly speaker tossed it back to the Senate on Thursday, while supporters and opponents watch time run out for it to become law.

Speaker Joseph Roberts said he would call a vote on the measure only if the Senate approved the bill first, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.

Roberts’ move came three weeks after the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the measure. Instead of setting a Senate vote, leaders there then called upon the Assembly judiciary committee to debate the issue.

“After more than seven hours of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 7 and continued public debate in the weeks since, we've certainly had a chance to hear all sides on marriage equality legislation,” said Roberts.

"I am prepared to bring the bill directly to the Assembly floor for a vote before the end of this legislative session,” he said, provided the bill is passed by the Senate first.

The bill’s sponsors in the upper house, Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Sen. Raymond Lesniak, said they asked Senate President Richard Codey to hold a vote on January 7.

Gay-rights advocates had hoped to push the bill through this session, which ends January 12, because Gov. Corzine supports it. Gov.-elect Chris Christie, who will take office Jan. 19, has said he would veto such a measure.

New Jersey approved civil unions for gay couples three years ago, but critics of civil unions say gay couples have not received the same protections offered by marriages.

Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire have legalized same-sex marriage; just weeks ago the District of Columbia approved a gay marriage bill, which is currently in its congressional review period.

Gay marriage rally in Trenton, NJ. (NJ.com photo)

On Monday in the Judiciary Committee, we're going to vote on marriage equality," state Sen. Ray Lesniak said, while making the announcement to a crowd of gay marriage supporters on the Statehouse steps today.

"On Thursday the full Senate is going to vote on marriage equality," said Lesniak, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee." And God be willing, we'll have 21 votes."

Garden State lawmakers who support the idea have been reluctant to post the bill for a vote unless they were fairly certain it would pass. Both houses of the Legislature must pass it before it goes to the governor.

Outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine has said he would sign a gay-marriage bill into law. His replacement, Gov.-elect Chris Christie, takes office next month and says he would veto it.

A similar proposal was defeated in New York on Wednesday in an unexpectedly wide 24-38 Senate decision, eight votes shy of the 32 needed for passage. It had passed earlier in the Assembly, and Gov. David Paterson had pledged to support it.

The result in New York, where some Democrats saw the defeat as a betrayal, prompted Lesniakto declare, "This is not the New York Legislature. The New York Legislature is dysfunctional. We're better than that."

New Jersey currently has a civil unions law.

The Democrat-controlled legislature in New Jersey, which currently recognizes same-sex couples in civil unions, is under pressure to pass a bill authorizing gay marriage before Gov. Jon Corzine ends his term in mid-January.

Corzine has promised to sign the bill if it gets there. Governor-elect Chris Christie, however, has promised to veto the legislation if it arrives after he takes office on Jan. 19, 2010.

The state's position on gay partnerships has been evolving over the last five years.

In 2004 New Jersey allowed gay and lesbian couples to enter into domestic partnerships, which included some of the benefits of marriage. In 2007 the state began allowing "civil unions" with the idea this provided all the benefits of marriage.

To date, more than 3,800 New Jersey couples have entered into a civil union.