It’s another day of progress on the marriage front, as the New Jersey Senate passes a marriage equality bill, Gov. Christine Gregoire signs Washington’s marriage bill into law and Freedom to Marry launches a grassroots campaign to add marriage equality to the Democratic Party’s 2012 platform language.

A bill upgrading New Jersey’s civil unions law to full marriage equality passed on a 24-16 bipartisan vote in the State Senate, and a similar vote in the State House is set for Thursday.  Gov. Chris Christie has promised to veto the measure when it reaches his desk, but proponents have until January 2014 to try to override his veto.

Marriage equality is now the law of the land in Washington, as Gov. Gregoire (pictured), flanked by openly gay and lesbian state lawmakers and their partners, today signed legislation and predicted the state’s voters would uphold the new law if opponents force the question onto a statewide ballot.  ”Washington will say yes because a family is a family,” said Gregoire.  “It is time to give our loving gay and lesbian couples a chance to have a married life in the state of Washington.”

Freedom to Marry, a national advocacy group, today began collecting signatures on a petition it hopes will influence the Democratic Party to embrace full marriage rights for same-sex couples as it develops its 2012 platform language.  ”It is now time that the national Democratic Party formally recognize the freedom to marry as a core value by including it in its party platform to be ratified in September at the Democratic National Convention,” said Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director at Freedom to Marry.

In a historic move, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced today the nomination of Bruce Harris to the New Jersey Supreme Court. If confirmed, Harris would become the first openly LGBT member of the Court.

In November, Harris was elected mayor of Chatham Borough after serving on the Chatham Borough Council for eight years. He’s likely the nation’s first openly gay, African American, Republican mayor.

“We’re thrilled for Bruce and commend Gov. Christie for recognizing the importance of diversity in the courts,” said Chuck Wolfe, Victory Fund’s president and CEO. “We endorsed Bruce in his race for mayor because he’s an exemplary public servant, and he will be an honest, fair voice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.”

Mayor Tim Eustace of Maywood, N.J., has been elected to the New Jersey Assembly tonight, becoming the first openly gay non-incumbent to win a seat in the legislature.

Eustace will join Assemblymember Reed Gusciora, who won his reelection bid, as New Jersey’s only openly gay state lawmakers.

Just one state legislator voted against a tough new law that requires New Jersey schools to develop anti-bullying programs.  The measure was pushed by the statewide LGBT group Garden State Equality.

“My vote today was for any child who has gone home in tears because he or she was bullied, and every parent who didn’t know what to do or who to contact,” said state Sen. Diane Allen, a Republican from Edgewater Park.

Gay students applauded the move, but some groups plan to challenge the law if Gov. Chris Christie (R) signs the bill, according to the Associated Press:

Sixteen-year-old Matthew Zimmer, of Ridgewood, who says he’s been bullied because he’s gay, testified before a legislative committee about the bill and was there Monday to see it pass.

“It means so much to me,” he said afterward. “I endured bullying by students as well as administrative bullying by the school. It is looking up.”

Groups of social conservatives spoke out against the bill, which got only one vote against it in either chamber. Some fear that the education provisions will legitimize gay marriage — which New Jersey doesn’t recognize — and force children to be taught about homosexuality in school.

Public-interest law firms want to challenge the law if the governor signs it, said Greg Quinlan of the New Jersey Family Policy Council.

Same-sex couples suing over New Jersey’s Civil Union Act will have to start over in the lower courts, according to a ruling today by the state’s Supreme Court.

Marriage equality advocates contend the law does not accomplish what the high court mandated in a landmark ruling four years ago–that the full rights and benefits afforded to heterosexual married couples also be extended to same-sex couples.  State lawmakers responded to that ruling then by passing the Civil Union Act, and earlier this year the New Jersey Senate declined to replace it with a marriage equality law.

The court, in a 3-3 vote, said, “We reach no conclusion on the merits of the plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the constitutionality of the Civil Union Act,” but added that the suit would need to accumulate a trial record by winding its way through lower courts first.

UPDATE:  Steven Goldstein, executive director of Garden State Equality, issued the following statement today…

Today’s procedural decision is profoundly disappointing because it represents a delay until the Supreme Court hears the facts on how the civil union law has devastated same-sex families and their children.   And any time justice is delayed, justice is denied.

But this, too, is clear:  First, the Supreme Court’s opinion today all but invited our side to file a new lawsuit.  And secondly, the Court did not rule that our side’s claims have no merit.  If the Court did, there would be no basis for going back to trail.   That omission from today’s opinion is significant.

So rather than a definitive defeat, today’s decision is a punt.   The punt is frustrating as hell to our families in pain and to an entire people yearning for freedom, but it is a punt, and far from a final decision.

As the Supreme Court all but invited us to do, our side will put the civil union law on trial.  We will continue to show the world – this time in court – the rabid devastation that New Jersey’s failed civil union law has imposed on our families and children.

When our families and their children tell the full story in court, equality will prevail.  Garden State Equality and our allies will not relent until that day comes.   And we will do everything we can to make sure that day comes soon.