As you may or may not know, New Jersey lawmakers voted yesterday to allow civil unions. While not equal to the coveted institution of marriage, the new laws will expand certain rights, such as inheritance and adoption rights. The law will go into effect 60 days after it's signed by Governor Jon Corzine, which is expected this week.

Undeniably a landmark move for The Garden State, the reaction's been mixed. One of the biggest complaints is that the legislature rushed through the bill too quickly. Ruling that gays have the same constitutional rights as straights, the state's Supreme Court gave the legislature 180 days to compose the new laws. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The bill was hurried through the process in 10 days, giving marriage advocates little ability to argue their case, said Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney David Buckel, who represented seven couples who sued the state for the right to marry.

"The irony is that the court referred this matter to the Legislature because it did not want to short-circuit the democratic process," he said. "The Legislature is doing just that."

Others saw Thursday's vote as a victory for gay rights. By guaranteeing same-sex couples rights equivalent to marriage, lawmakers "have told the world that marriage no longer matters," said Robert Knight of the Media Research Center, who opposes gay marriage. "This is a social wrecking ball."

New Jersey joins Vermont and Connecticut on the civil union train. Whether that train's heading for higher ground or off a cliff remains to be seen and, of course, on your opinion.

Also, if you guys want a handy state-by-state rundown of marriage/civil union laws, head on over to CBS affiliate WCBS.