Supreme Court nominee Paul Harris of Chatham would recuse himself on the issue of same-sex marriage should the issue reach the New Jersey Surpeme Court, Gov. Chris Christie said Harris told him.

Star-Ledger reporter Paul Mulshine asked Christie if he knew about an email in which Harris advocated marriage equality.

“I did not know about the email,” said the governor.

But Harris told Christie “if he were confirmed to the court he would recuse himself (on the same-sex marriage issue) because he had advocated for it."

Harris's email involved his reaction to Lewis v. Harris, which resulted in the court ordering the Legislature to pass a statute giving same-sex partners the same marital privileges enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

"I read the email as favoring same-sex marriage,” Christie said.

Having praised Christie’s choice of Harris last week, Garden State Equality CEO and Founder Steven Goldstein said the role Harris would play as a jurist on GSE’s signature issue does not alarm him.

“It does not change our view,” Christie said. “We praise Bruce Harris because he brings much needed diversity to the court and represents an historic first. It had nothing to do either way with his position on marriage equality.”