The AP is reporting that New Jersey state legislators have decided to postpone a vote on marriage equality in order to shore up support for the measure. From this moment, New Jersey legislators have forty days to pass the bill; that being the amount of time until governor-elect Chris Christie, who has vowed to veto any marriage equality bill, will be sworn into office.
The vote in the state Senate was canceled at the last minute when Democrats backing same-sex nuptials realized they were not sure of getting enough support for the bill to pass, reported WNYC radio and local newspapers.
A spokeswoman for the state assembly said the vote was no longer expected to take place but added that this was not yet official.
Sponsors of the bill, which seeks to make New Jersey the sixth US state giving homosexuals full marriage rights, instead plan to stoke momentum by putting the proposed law before the lower house’s judiciary committee, reports said.
New Jersey law currently recognizes civil unions.