Michigan gay marriage ban ruled unconstitutional by federal judge

A federal judge struck down the ban on gay marriage in Michigan, saying it was unconstitutional. This ruling made Michigan the 18th state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to marry.

Since December, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia have each overturned their bans on same-sex marriage. There have been appeals to them since though.

According to FOX News, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled on the ban after a two-week trial that focused on the impact of children having parents of the same sex.

In 2004, the state had voted in favor of marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman by 59 percent.

This ruling impacts two lesbian nurses, who were unable to jointly adopt their three children since Michigan is tied exclusively to marriage. All three of these children have special needs.

Friedman ruled that the nurses were right in arguing that they were denied their right to get married and adopt each other's children as reported by Freep.

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