Same-sex couples that were married on Saturday are legally married but without the benefits of marriage, Gov. Rick Snyder said.
Snyder said in a statement Wednesday that the ceremonies and licenses issued between U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman's ruling and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to extend the stay are legal.
"After comprehensive legal review of state law and all recent court rulings, we have concluded that same sex couples were legally married at county clerk offices," Snyder said in a statement.
The benefits of the marriage are still pending until a higher court rules on them.
"The U.S. Circuit Court's stay has the effect of suspending the benefits of marriage until further court rulings are issued on this matter," Snyder said.
In the statement, Snyder explains that the rights of these marriages are suspended "until the stay is lifted or Judge Friedman's decision is upheld on appeal."
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