On March 21, 2014, District Judge Bernard Friedman issued a historic ruling making Michigan the 18th state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to join in matrimony. As stated in Deboer v. Snyder, Case No. 12-CV-10285, ” Article I, section 25 of the Michigan Constitution and its implementing statutes are unconstitutional because they violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Michigan has long argued that a single judge should not be permitted to upset the will of 2.7 million voters who, in 2004, decided that marriage is only to be between a man and a woman. Judge Friedman’s ruling heavily criticized the state’s position that the will of the voters should have been upheld, noting that just because voters approve something doesn’t make it right, especially when it violates the Constitution.
Immediately following the ruling, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed an emergency request for a stay of Friedman’s ruling.
On March 22, 2014, gays and lesbians alike lined up to be legally married in the State of Michigan.
At this time, those newly married await a decision on the appeal for a determination as to whether Michigan will recognize their marriages as legal.