Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder
Gov. Rick Snyder
may not be recognizing the hundreds of same-sex marriages performed in Michigan between a court decision in favor of marriage equality and another court's stay on that decision, but the federal government
is another story:
“I have determined that the same-sex marriages performed last Saturday in Michigan will be recognized by the federal government,” [Attorney General Eric] Holder said. “These families will be eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages. The governor of Michigan has made clear that the marriages that took place on Saturday were lawful and valid when entered into, although Michigan will not extend state rights and benefits tied to these marriages pending further legal proceedings.”
The court decision extending marriage equality to Michigan is under an indefinite stay while it is appealed, as is the case in other states.
At the same time we still have to marvel at the speed with which marriage equality has spread and public opinion on the issue has shifted, at this point it's getting incredibly frustrating. The right thing is so clear, and the nation is clearly headed in that direction. The Supreme Court's Defense of Marriage Act decision pointed in the same direction, even if the Court punted on the California case, and district judge after district judge has ruled consistent with the DOMA decision since. Yet still we wait. Still the governor of Michigan can say yes, these marriages are legal, and no, the state won't recognize them. Snyder has to know how this will end up, yet he's standing in the marital equivalent of the schoolhouse door just to delay, just to keep hundreds of couples defined as less-than for a little while longer as his administration spends state money defending the indefensible.