Judge rules Michigan gay marriage law unconstitutional

A judge struck down Michigan's gay marriage law on Friday, stating that the law was unconstitutional.

Michigan chose to argue that the law should remain in place claiming that children are better off within a traditional family, reports the Detroit Free Press. The state also claimed that a lone judge shouldn't be able to overpower the desire of 60 percent of voters who approved the ban in 2004.

April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse filed the lawsuit against the state back in 2012 arguing that the ban violated their constitutional rights. They are currently raising three special needs children and want to marry and adopt each others' kids, which they weren't able to do under state law.

U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled after only two weeks and didn't appear like he would suspend his ruling, according to The Associated Press. Same-sex marriage won't happen right away as the ruling wasn't announced until after 5 p.m., meaning most county clerk offices would be closed.

State Attorney General Bill Schuette has indicated he will be appealing the decision and wants the ruling suspended for the duration of the appeals process.

"It's unbelievable," DeBoer said. "We got our day in court. We won."

For the moment, Michigan is the 18th state where gay marriage is legal, with several coming as the result of lawsuits.

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