Michigan must recognise same-sex marriages
A judge has ruled that Michigan must recognise the same-sex marriages carried out in the brief period same-sex marriage was legal in the state.
Around 300 couples were wed in March after the state struck down a ban on same-sex marriage. However, only hours later the court of appeals halted same-sex marriage and since then the state has refused to recognise the marriages.
Judge Mark Goldsmith ruled that the state must now recognise these marriages. He said: “In these circumstances, what the state has joined together, it may not put asunder.”
Jay Kaplan of the ACLU Michigan, which brought a suit against the state, said “These marriages are cherished and valid—same as any other—and it’s only right that the courts and our country recognize as much.
“All these couples have ever asked is that they be able to love and protect their families without being discriminated against. With this decision, they can finally begin to move away from uncertainty and unfairness and toward the fulfillment of their shared dreams.”
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said: “We are reviewing Judge Goldsmith’s decision but as I have said repeatedly, the sooner the United States Supreme Court makes a decision on this issue the better it will be for Michigan and America.”
In December, Michigan passed a bill allowing religious people to discriminate against LGBT people.
