Same-sex couples in the state of Michigan who were married last week now will be recognized by the federal government, according to a statement released Friday by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
The couples also will be eligible for marriage benefits, such as insurance coverage and employee benefits.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman declared Michigan’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.
The next day, clerks in four counties, including Ingham, opened their doors and married nearly 300 same-sex couples statewide.
Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder said the state recognized the marriages performed before the stay was issued as legal, but did not go so far as to offer the couples the benefits associated with marriage such as joint insurance and adoption rights.
Snyder cited the continuing court battle as the reason for the hold on benefits.
“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 last week. “However, the couples’ marriage benefits are suspended until further court rulings are issued on this matter.”
Holder’s decision, however, means newlywed same-sex couples would still qualify for benefits of marriage and be recognized as legal, even if the state of Michigan does not offer them the same benefits as straight couples.
“For purposes of federal law... these Michigan couples will not be asked to wait for further resolution in the courts before they may seek federal benefits to which they are entitled,” Holder said in a previous statement. “These families will be eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages.”
Dave Murray, a spokesman for Snyder, spoke last week on the decision.
“The issue in Michigan is that the couples were legally married on Saturday prior to issuing the stay,” Murray said. ”(Once) that stay was issued, there was no other option than to suspend the benefits in accordance to Michigan’s law.”
Last Monday, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett held a press conference with local officials, activists and same-sex couples to draw attention to the issues.
They also sent a letter to Holder urging him to recognize same-sex married couples in Michigan.
“While Governor Snyder and Attorney General Schuette continue to play politics and pander to the far-right, same-sex couples married last weekend will no longer face discrimination in the eyes of the federal government,” Byrum said in a statement Friday.
