MICHIGAN: Sixth Circuit Court Indefnitely Extends Stay On Marriage Ban Overturn

It appears that Saturday’s 300+ Michigan marriages may not be locally recognized for a very long time. Via the Detroit Free Press:

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday extended a stay on last week’s ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman that struck down the Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage. The 2-1 ruling, issued late Tuesday afternoon, means the case will have to make its way through the appellate court, and likely the U.S. Supreme Court, before the couples know whether their marriages will be legally recognized. And that Supreme Court decision probably won’t come until the summer of 2015 at the earliest, said Jay Kaplan, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. The appeals court has set a schedule for briefs to be filed from both the state and attorneys for plaintiffs April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse — whose federal lawsuit got the ball rolling on the legal challenge — that go through the end of June. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette must file his brief by May 7. Rowse and DeBoer’s attorneys have until June 9. And Schuette has 17 more days after that to file a response.

Read the full ruling. Surely US Attorney General Eric Holder will step in to offer federal recognition to the Michigan couples, just as he did with Utah.