About 300 same-sex couples in Michigan hope a federal judge will force the state to recognize their marriages. Judge Mark Goldsmith heard arguments in the case Thursday.
The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports.
The couples got married on a single day in March after another federal judge struck down Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional. But that ruling is now on hold while it’s being appealed. The state is asking Judge Goldsmith to delay his decision until that appeals process plays out.
Julian Mortenson is an attorney for the same-sex couples. He says there’s no reason legally married couples should have to wait to be recognized.
“There’s no time to wait,” she says. “We need relief now, and we did our best to convey that to the judge today in the courtroom.”
Judge Goldsmith said he’ll rule soon on whether the marriages should be recognized.
A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office declined to comment.