More Than 700 Same-Sex Couples Have Married in New Jersey Since October

Marriage equality has only been legal in New Jersey since Oct. 21, but by Dec. 6,  the State Department of Health reports, 709 same-sex couples have either married or renewed their vows in the state. (That’s more than 100 a week!) AP breaks down that number, saying that 461 of those couples already had civil unions or domestic partnerships in New Jersey, and 30 were “married legally out-of-state renewing their vows.”

This is exciting news, though some advocates are calling for the need to write marriage equality into the state’s law, afraid that a higher court could overturn the Superior Court’s surprise move to legalize it in September. The Star-Ledger reports:

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday is scheduled to hear a new bill called the Marriage Equality Act, (S3109) which is a slightly modified version of a bill (S1) to legalize gay marriage that Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed in 2012.

The measure was posted for a committee vote late today. Sponsors said while they believe this is the best option, the debate isn’t over.

“This is the step we’re taking right now. This is a very fluid situation,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen). “It could change.”

Stay tuned for any updates.