LANSING, Mich. (March 26, 2014) — Gov. Rick Snyder announced Wednesday that same-sex couples who wed on Saturday, March 22 are legally married but the state won’t recognize those marriages until the stay is lifted.
“The couples with certificates of marriage from Michigan courthouses last Saturday were legally married and the marriage was valid when entered into. Because the stay brings Michigan law on this issue back into effect, the rights tied to these marriages are suspended until the stay is lifted or Judge Friedman’s decision is upheld on appeal,” Snyder said in a release.
Four counties in Michigan issued marriage licenses on Saturday, allowing roughly 300 same-sex couples to marry.
However, that afternoon the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals halted the ceremonies pending Attorney General Bill Schuette’s appeal of the Friday ruling stating the state’s gay marriage ban was unconstitutional.
Tuesday, a stay was issued until formal arguments are made on U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman’s ruling.
This is the first time since the ruling and Schuette’s appeal that Snyder has spoken on gay marriage.
