A federal judge says Michigan must recognize the marriages of 300 gay and lesbian couples that were performed in March 2014. They were all married the day after a federal judge struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage but before an appeals court put the order on hold.
Judge Mark Goldsmith says the marriages were legal and must be recognized by the state. His order takes effect in 21 days.
Glenna DeJonge was one of the people who sued to have her marriage recognized: “I cried when I saw the result. We had kind of given up hope that anything was going to happen here soon, especially with the things up in the air about the Supreme Court.”
The U.S. Supreme Court could decide as soon as Friday, January 16, whether to hear the challenge to Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban.