The Slatest

Mich. Will Not Recognize Hundreds of Same-Sex Marriages Performed in the State

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said the state will not recognize same-sex marriages already performed in the state.

Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said on Wednesday the state would not recognize the some 300 same-sex marriages that were preformed over the weekend. Gay marriage had been banned in Michigan until a federal judge struck down the ban last Friday. In the wake of the ruling, four counties in the state began issuing marriage licenses to hundreds of couples before an appeals court stepped in ordering an indefinite halt to same-sex marriages.

The stay puts the hundreds of couples who obtained licenses in legal limbo. “We believe those are legal marriages and valid marriages,” Snyder, a Republican, told reporters on Wednesday. “Although the marriages were legal, what the stay does is reinstate Michigan law. And under Michigan law, it says the state of Michigan will not recognize the fact that they’re married, because they’re of the same sex.” Snyder said that also means the state won’t recognize marriage benefits for those couples until the appeals court rules on the matter.