TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie dropped his legal challenge to gay marriage in New Jersey today, only hours after same-sex couples began exchanging wedding vows throughout the state.

Christie's unexpected decision to withdraw his appeal of a major case at the state Supreme Court marks the end of a decade-long legal battle. It means that a lower-court ruling allowing gay couples to marry in New Jersey stands as the law.

New Jersey is now the 14th state to legalize gay marriage, and the first to do so in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in June striking down the Defense of Marriage Act.

"Although the governor strongly disagrees with the court substituting its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a vote of the people, the court has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey constitution and, therefore, same-sex marriage is the law," said Colin Reed, a spokesman for Christie. "The governor will do his constitutional duty and ensure his administration enforces the law as dictated by the New Jersey Supreme Court."

From Newark to Asbury Park, and Lambertville to Cape May, jubilant same-sex couples began getting married at 12:01 a.m. today following the state Supreme Court's ruling on Friday refusing to delay the first weddings while it heard Christie's appeal.

The Republican governor, who is seeking re-election next month and may seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, had been fighting the legalization of gay marriage in the courts for months, and vetoed a bill in the state Legislature last year that would have allowed it. He urged lawmakers to put the question on the ballot instead.

Over the summer, Christie's opposition to same-sex marriage became a major campaign issue, giving his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Barbara Buono, an opening to blast him for opposing something that a majority of New Jersey voters had indicated they support.

Buono ran her first TV ad of the general election spotlighting the issue and went on national television to spread the message that Christie was "the only one standing in the way" of same-sex marriage.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who has promised an override of Christie's veto by the end of the year, today did not commit to keep pushing for a vote.

"Honestly, I'm very happy that the appeal has been dropped," Sweeney said today.



In rejecting his plea for a stay, Christie said, the court made strong statements that settled the larger case.

Reed said Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, writing for the court in a 7-0 opinion on Friday, "left no ambiguity about the unanimous court's view on the ultimate decision in this matter when he wrote, 'same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under the law today.'"

Although the high court was only ruling on a stay on Friday, the justices appeared to address all the major issues underlying the case, rejecting Christie's legal arguments and emphasizing he was unlikely to win if he continued appealing a Sept. 27 decision by Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson, which found that gay couples were being denied equal rights "every day" in New Jersey.

Jacobson's was the first court ruling in the country to legalize same-sex marriage after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June.

That move extended hundreds of tax, medical and other legal benefits to same-sex couples, but only in states that provided them "lawful marriages." As a civil union state, New Jersey was left out, the Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Democratic lawmakers called it a historic day and celebrated New Jersey for joining the rest of the Northeast in allowing same-sex marriages.

"History is unfolding before our eyes," Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) said. "This is cause for celebration."

Udi Ofer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said "the governor made the right call to step aside and allow loving and committed couples to marry after Friday's unanimous New Jersey Supreme Court decision."

"After so many years of hard work, today begins a new era for equality in the state of New Jersey," Ofer said.

Same-sex marriage opponents said Christie should have fought until the end.

"For four years, Governor Christie has repeatedly stated that he supports traditional marriage and that the voters of New Jersey should decide this important issue," said state Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren).

"By dropping the state's appeal, Governor Christie has acquiesced to the same judicial activism that he has long railed against. ... By refusing to challenge the court's decision, he is also blocking the opportunity for third parties to present their case to the court via amicus briefs."

John Tomicki, president of the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve and Protect Marriage, was planning to file one of those briefs in opposition to gay marriage. He said he wasn't surprised Christie dropped his appeal after a unanimous Supreme Court seemed to reject all his arguments on Friday.



"We believe that there was still an ability and a desire to discuss ... the definition of marriage, the sociological basis for marriage, and why it benefits the society," Tomicki said. "Those issues were never raised."

Lawrence Lustberg, an attorney for the six families that won the case and the group Garden State Equality, said that based on Friday's ruling by the Supreme Court, Christie had little hope of winning in the end.



"The handwriting was on the wall as clearly as it could possibly be," Lustberg said. "What's occurred here is really a great triumph not only for equality, not only for law, for people to marry who they love, but also for the rule of law."



Hayley Gorenberg, the deputy legal director of Lambda Legal and another attorney for the six families, said Christie's decision "makes all the sense in the world legally, and makes all the sense in the world for our government for public officials who are supposed to be serving the well being of everyone in New Jersey."



"I think we're done here," Gorenberg said.

Star-Ledger staff writers Matt Friedman and Jenna Portnoy contributed to this report.

RELATED COVERAGE

• N.J. Supreme Court refuses to block same-sex marriage; first wedding expected Monday

• More Politics







FOLLOW STAR-LEDGER POLITICS: TWITTER • FACEBOOK • GOOGLE+