As expected, the bill that would legally recognize same-sex marriage soared through the New Jersey Senate on Tuesday in an 8-4 party-line vote, clearing the way for the way for the bill to come to the senate floor on Feb. 13.
Unfortunately, happiness was halted when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie renewed his vow to veto. “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,” said the governor, according to the Star-Ledger. “Let’s let the people of New Jersey decide what is right for the state.”
It should be noted that a recent Quinnipiac poll revealed that 52 percent of New Jersey voters did, indeed, support marriage equality.
If the governor does choose to veto, the question remains is is there enough legislative support to override it? Legislative leaders are currently working to muster the two-thirds majority needed, but Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a former foe of the 2010 gay marriage bill who had a change of heart and introduced the current one, acknowledged that would be an “enormous lift” in his chamber, where only one Republican publicly supports the bill. It takes 27 votes in the 40-member state senate to override a governor’s veto.
Photo: wikipedia.org
