McGreevey Divorce
Proceeds With Little Progress Toward Settlement

Former New Jersey governor James McGreevey, the first openly gay governor in the United States, and his estranged wife, Dina, continued proceedings in divorce court on Monday but made little headway toward resolving their case, according to the Associated Press.

Superior Court judge Karen M. Cassidy presided over three hours of private talks with the couple's lawyers in an attempt to avoid a trial that could be traumatic to the McGreevey's young daughter. But when Cassidy took the bench to speak to the attorneys and their clients, she said she was "deflated and exhausted," according to the AP.

"To say I've had little success would be understated," she said. "You'll have to decide if you want to try this case and let it become the spectacle it's bound to be."

McGreevey, however, told reporters he remains hopeful for a settlement.

"It's in everyone's interest to settle and stop the excessive legal costs and personal pain and aggravation," he said. "And move on with our lives."

In 2004, McGreevey announced that he was gay and would resign as governor. The McGreeveys, who married in 2000, separated after moving out of the governor's mansion.

McGreevey now lives with partner Mark O'Donnell in Plainfield, N.J. Dina Matos McGreevey and the couple's 5-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, live in Springfield, N.J. (The Advocate)