New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped his legal efforts to block same-sex marriage in his state hours after the first such couples were married. A lower-court judge had ruled last month that New Jersey must recognize gay marriages, making it the 14th state in the country to do so.

Although Christie disagreed with the court’s decision, he said he had a constitutional duty to enforce the law. In contrast, Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark who was elected to the U.S. Senate last week, officiated at seven same-sex marriages in a midnight ceremony after the state Supreme Court’s rejection Friday of Christie’s request to maintain the ban pending appeal.

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.