After living together for more than a decade, Paul and Bob entered into a New Jersey civil union in 2008, and then got married this past November soon after same-sex marriage became legal in the state. Now that a few months have passed and the initial excitement over finally being able to marry is beginning to fade, they are wondering whether they may have made a mistake. Their relationship has not been a particularly happy one for the past few years, and the marriage was part of a series of efforts to bring back the romance and try to make a fresh start. Lately, though, those efforts have fizzled. The couple is now wondering what they will need to do if they decide to end the relationship. Will they have to get a divorce and a dissolution?

Paul and Bob are just one of many New Jersey civil-union couples who rightfully began asking questions about the legal state of their relationships after a decision in the New Jersey Superior Court case of Garden State Equality v. Dow finally led to same-sex marriage becoming a reality at the end of October 2013. Many couples who had waited for years to get married rushed out to tie the knot at their first opportunity. Others hesitated and pondered unanswered questions, anxious about acting too hastily amid the constantly shifting tides they had been trying to navigate for so many years. Was this really the final word on same-sex marriage in New Jersey? Would civil unions in New Jersey continue to exist? What would happen to their civil union if they decided to get married? What would happen if the relationship ended?

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