The New Jersey court left it up to state lawmakers to decide if such unions can be called marriage. Same-sex marriage has faced legal and political roadblocks in much of the United States and has been a hot-button issue since 2003, when Massachusetts' highest court ruled it was unconstitutional to ban gay marriage, paving the way for America's first same-sex marriages in May 2004. In the 2004 election, many states had ballot initiatives limiting gay marriage -- a factor credited with boosting the vote for President George W. Bush.