Michigan Marriage Case: October 16th

A federal judge will hear arguments to overturn Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage on October 16th.

The challenge to Michigan's ban was in play before the Supreme Court spoke, but attorneys for a pair of Detroit-area nurses believe the decision helps their case. "If marriage is a fundamental right, then logic and emerging Supreme Court precedent dictate that the legitimacy of two adults' love for one another is the same in the eyes of the law regardless of sexual orientation," lawyers Carole Stanyar and Dana Nessel said in a recent filing. They represent April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, who live with three adopted children in Hazel Park. They sued in 2012 because Michigan law bars them from jointly adopting each other's kids. At the suggestion of the judge, the case has become even more significant and includes a challenge to Michigan's ban on gay marriage. The state attorney general's office, defending voters' endorsement of the gay-marriage ban, said the Supreme Court has recognized that states have a right to define marriage.

The case is being opposed by the Michigan Catholic Conference. Of course.