Exxon says it will begin offering benefits to legally married same-sex couples in the U.S. for the first time as of Oct. 1. 
 
 The company says it will recognize "all legal marriages" when it determines eligibility for health care plans for the company's 77,000 employees and retirees in the U.S. 
 
 That means if a gay employee has been married in a state or country where gay marriage is legal, his or her spouse will be eligible for benefits with Exxon starting next year. 
 
 Exxon Mobil Corp., which is facing a same-sex discrimination lawsuit in Illinois, said Friday it was following the lead of the U.S. government. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted in other states. And in recent months, federal agencies have begun to offer benefits to legally-married same sex couples. 
 
 "We haven't changed our eligibility criteria. It has always been to follow the federal definition and it will continue to follow the federal definition," said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers in an interview. 

 A state court judge said in a ruling Friday that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in New Jersey, and that the rights given to them under the state's civil unions law are not equal to federal benefits now granted to married gay couples. Lori Bordonaro reports. (Published Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013) 
 
 A state court judge said in a ruling Friday that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in New Jersey, and that the rights given to them under the state's civil unions law are not equal to federal benefits now granted to married gay couples. 
 
 Judge Mary Jacobson granted a summary judgment requested by Garden State Equality, which had claimed that the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of the federal Defense of Marriage Act meant that same-sex couples in civil unions in New Jersey were being denied equal protection. 
 
 NJ Judge: Same-Sex Couples Must Be Allowed to Marry 
 
 A state court judge said in a ruling Friday that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in New Jersey, and that the rights given to them under the state's civil unions law are not equal to federal benefits now granted to married gay couples. Brian Thompson reports. (Published Friday, Sept. 27, 2013) 
 
 "The ineligibility of same-sex couples for federal benefits is currently harming same-sex couples in New Jersey in a wide range of contexts," the judge said. 
 
 "Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law under the New Jersey Constitution," she wrote. 
 
 NJ Residents React to Same-Sex Marriage Ruling 
 
 Residents in Englewood, N.J. are reacting to the major victory for same-sex couples. Jen Maxfield reports. (Published Friday, Sept. 27, 2013) 
 
 The ruling does not mean that same-sex marriages will begin immediately in New Jersey. The state has until Oct. 21 to either appeal or start the process to allow gay marriages. 
 
 The Christie administration said it would appeal. 
 
 Lambda Legal, which argued the case for Garden State Equality, said in a statement that "this news is thrilling." 
 
 "We argued that limiting lesbians and gay men to civil union is unfair and unconstitutional, and now the court has agreed," 
 
 Cindy Meneghin, who was a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with her high school sweetheart, Maureen Kilian, said "today, with this ruling, the full benefits of that historic Supreme Court decision are within our reach, and we couldn't be happier." 
 
 At a rally Friday night, after 39 years of waiting, she finally got to pop the question. 
 
 "Maureen, will you finally marry me?" she said. 
 
 --Brian Thompson contributed to this story
– A New Jersey judge has declared that the state must allow same-sex couples to marry. But don't expect any weddings immediately: The state has until Oct. 21 to file an appeal, and Gov. Chris Christie's administration is expected to do just that, reports NBC News. In her ruling, Judge Mary Jacobson says now that the federal government recognizes gay marriages, not doing so in New Jersey would violate the state constitution. In another dose of good news for gay-rights advocates, Exxon said it would offer benefits to married same-sex couples for the first time, reports AP.