NJ Marriage Vote Today

The New Jersey state senate judiciary committee will vote today on the marriage equality bill, which is widely expected to be approved and move to the full senate for a vote on Thursday.

State senate judiciary committee chairman Paul Sarlo, a Democrat who opposes the bill, said last week that he believed it would pass in the committee. Hundreds of marriage equality supporters were expected in Trenton on Monday for the committee hearing, anticipated to include hours of testimony.

Tune in here to listen to the proceedings of the judiciary committee at 1 p.m.

The outcome of a potential vote in the state senate, where Democrats hold a 23-17 majority, remains unclear, as some lawmakers have indicated they were influenced by the setbacks for marriage equality in Maine and New York, and the election as governor last month of Chris Christie, a Republican who opposes marriage equality and takes office on January 19. He has vowed to veto the bill, leaving advocates under pressure to pass the bill in time for it to be signed by outgoing governor Jon Corzine.

Should the bill pass the full senate on Thursday, it will move to the assembly, where insiders feel more confident about approval.

On Sunday, WABC News 7 spoke separately with Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality, the bill's chief advocate, and Brian Brown of the Trenton-based National Organization for Marriage, one of the bill's main opponents. Watch the interviews below.