NJ to File Defense of Civil Unions vs Gay Marriage

Lawyers for New Jersey are expected to defend the state's civil unions for same-sex couples as opposed to gay marriage.

Legal papers are due Friday in a lawsuit filed by gay couples and their children who say New Jersey's civil unions fall short of a court mandate that gay couples be treated the same as married couples.

The suit was expedited after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that invalidated key parts of a federal law banning same-sex marriage.

The advocates say New Jersey is now blocking them from getting rights granted by the federal government.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 15.

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