A federal district court judge has just ruled that Michigan‘s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Judge Bernard Friedman cited the Fourteenth Amendment as the basis of his ruling.
Friedman’s ruling also includes a nod to the Supreme Court’s DOMA case, and takes an honest swipe at the state of Michigan’s defense:
“In attempting to define this case as ‘the will if the people,'” Friedman wrote, “state defendants lost sight of what this case is truly about: people.”
The case, Deboer v. Snyder, involves two nurses, Jayne and April DeBoer-Rowse, who wish to marry and jointly-adopt their three adopted children.
Here’s the video of the moment they learned they won:
Watch: Here’s The Moment Two Michigan Moms Learn Their Case Just Won Them The Right To Marry
This is a developing story — stay tuned for more details.
UPDATE I: 5:24 PM EDT —
There is nothing in the judge’s ruling that states he is placing his decision on hold pending appeal. The judgment was released on a Friday at 5 PM, so same-sex couples will not be able to marry immediately, as they were in Utah.