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.
“These marriages happened during a window when it was legal to get married in Michigan, and 300 couples were married lawfully,” says Kary Moss of the ACLU. The marriages took place back in March, the day after a federal judge struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage and before that order was put on hold by an appeals court.
Moss of the ACLU says it’s a violation of due process rights to not recognize those marriages while the case is being appealed.
“In fact, the federal government has gone ahead and said that those couples can get all those benefits, the federal benefits that are available to them,” says Moss. “It’s only the state has said the state will deny any state benefits to those couples.”
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.
