Friday, May 30, 2008

Blind Justice

Well, despite getting off to a rocky start, Gov. Patterson in New Jersey recently went 2-2 in big decisions.

Governor Patterson issued a directive to all government offices in New York to recognize out of state marriages regardless of the gender of the couple. The Fourth Circuit decision in Martinez v. Monroe (PDF) held that under the New York Constitution same-sex couples married out of state remain married in New York. Patterson simply instructed the state government to comply with the ruling. This doesn't mean that gay and lesbian couples can get married in New York, that would require a change in our marital statutes. Still, it's great to have a sitting Governor just being so openly supportive of the idea.

On a totally non-related note, he also granted a full pardon to Riky "Slick Rick" Walters. Slick Rick was one of the early pioneers of hip-hop, comming on the scene with his first album in 1988. Now he is mostly known for the people that cover (Snoop Dog covered "LaDiDaDi" on Doggystyle) or sample him.

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