ELIZABETH, N.J.—The judge overseeing the contentious divorce between the nation’s first openly gay governor and his wife urged the couple to settle their case July 31, warning the estranged pair that they don’t have the money or emotional fortitude to endure a protracted, public trial.

Judge Karen M. Cassidy delivered a 15-minute lecture to former Gov. James E. McGreevey and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, after nearly four hours of closed-door meetings at the Union County Courthouse.

“You folks do not have the money it’s going to take to try this case,” Cassidy said. “You don’t have it financially, and certainly you don’t have the emotional level it’s going to take to try this case for many, many months.”

Cassidy set a series of dates for future hearings, and she set a May 6, 2008 trial date in case the parties fail to mediate their differences.

Afterward, Matos McGreevey and her lawyer hurriedly left the courtroom while McGreevey and his lawyer held a brief news conference downstairs.

Asked to comment on the emotional impact of the divorce, McGreevey said: “Divorce for any family is always a difficult process.

The judge said there were many unsettled issues in McGreevey vs. McGreevey, such as alimony, child support, the value of celebrity and McGreevey’s underemployment. The former governor, who has a law degree, this spring announced plans to study for the Episcopal priesthood.