NJ Ruling on Gay Marriage Fuels Election Campaigns

The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that same-sex couples have the same legal rights and financial benefits as heterosexual couples, but said legalizing gay and lesbian marriage is for the legislature to decide. Nevertheless, the ruling has energized opponents of gay marriage in this year's campaigns. In Iowa yesterday, President Bush reiterated that marriage is "a union between a man and a woman," and denounced what he called "another activist court" for threatening a "sacred institution."