LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- The American Civil Liberties Union has asked a federal court to order the state to recognize 300 same-sex marriages performed in Michigan last March.
The marriages were performed during a brief period when same-sex marriages were legal in Michigan. There was a several-hour window when four counties issued marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples until a federal appeals court put a stop to it. But Kary Moss of the ACLU says it’s a violation of due process rights to not recognize those marriages while the case is being appealed.
“These marriages happened during a window when it was legal to get married in Michigan, and 300 couples were married lawfully.”
Governor Rick Snyder has said the marriages are legal but cannot be recognized by the state until the appeal is resolved. The state’s challenge to the court decision says it should be up to voters to decide whether same-sex marriages are allowed in Michigan.
The appeals court arguments are scheduled for March and the case could be one of several same-sex marriage cases across the country headed for the United States Supreme Court.