Proving itself the kindred spirit to the radical left, New Jersey last week became the 14th state to legalize same-sex marriage – that is if you can call a dictum from the state Supreme Court a true legalization. As background, a decision by a lower court to allow same-sex marriage in the Garden State is currently on appeal to the state Supreme Court, but Republican Gov. Chris Christie requested a stay of the ruling, pending review by the high court. Rejecting the request 7-0 – and leaving no mystery on how it will rule on the appeal – New Jersey’s compulsively activist court announced that it could “find no public interest in depriving a group of New Jersey residents of their constitutional right to equal protection while the appeals process unfolds.”

Surprising virtually no Jersey conservatives, Christie – who with one breath vetoed a same-sex marriage bill last year and with the next signed a bill this year banning “conversion therapy” for minors struggling with homosexuality – promptly dropped his appeal, announcing through his spokesman that “the court has now spoken.” Perhaps conservatives can take comfort that at least Christie didn’t go as far as New Jersey Senator-elect Cory Booker, who immediately chose to officiate at several same-sex “marriages.” But then again, with marriage – the very building block of society – on the line, conservatives are unlikely to forget the white flag waiving over the governor’s mansion.