A temporary stay on same-sex marriages filed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and approved by a higher court has prevented further marriages from occurring. 

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Snyder said the state recognized the marriages preformed before the stay as legal, but did not grant the couples full marriage benefits. 

Holder said in the statement that even if the state of Michigan does not extend the benefits of marriages to same-sex newlyweds, they would still qualify for them.

“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 the statement. "These families will be eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages."

Holder's decision did not take the governor by surprise, Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said.

"The issue in Michigan is that the couples were legally married on Saturday prior to the court 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."

On Monday, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett sent a letter to Holder urging him to recognize same-sex married couples in Michigan. The pair also hosted a Tuesday press conference with other local officials, activists and same-sex couples to draw attention to the issue.

In a statement released Friday, Byrum commended Holder’s decision.

“While Governor (Rick) Snyder and Attorney General (Bill) 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 the statement.