Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) issued the following statement in response to the New Jersey Supreme Court decision in Lewis v. Harris, recognizing the rights of same-sex couples to equal benefits under the law:

“I am extremely pleased that another neighboring state to New York has seen fit to grant equal benefits under the law to same-sex couples.  In and of itself, this is an important victory that underscores the fact that the New York State Legislature must take action to end New York's discriminatory legal framework.”

“However, the New Jersey Supreme Court left the question of how to frame and name same-sex unions up to the state legislature. This is not a trivial decision.  Civil unions are state-based legal creations that exist nowhere in federal law.  Anything less than full marriage rights could ultimately disadvantage New Jersey’s same-sex couples from potentially receiving over 1,000 federal benefits and rights currently available to heterosexual married couples. Same-sex couples should not be treated as second class citizens.”

“New Jersey and New York must move quickly to end discrimination in our region and grant same-sex couples full and equal marriage rights under the law.”