What is a civil union?
Under New Jersey’s new law, a civil union is the legally recognized union of two individuals of the same sex. Civil union couples receive the legal benefits and protections and are subject to the legal responsibilities provided under New Jersey law to married couples. But a civil union is not a marriage. The legislature reserved the status of a marriage for different-sex couples. Although the difference in the two statuses does create constitutional and other problems that are discussed more below, any same-sex couples who otherwise would choose to marry should give serious thought to entering into a civil union because of the vast set of protections summarized below.
