Michigan clerks preparing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
LANSING, MI -- Clerks in at least ten of Michigan's 83 counties are prepared to issue marriage licenses this week if a federal judge strikes down the state's voter-approved ban.
U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman is scheduled to hear testimony Wednesday afternoon in Detroit as part of a lawsuit filed by two Hazel Park nurses, who originally sued to win joint custody of their adopted children and later expanded the case to involve the same-sex marriage ban.
Friedman may issue a ruling the same day. If he lifts the ban and declines to issue a stay pending appeal from Attorney General Bill Schuette, same-sex marriage would be legal in Michigan until a higher court says otherwise, which could be only a matter of hours or days.
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a Democrat who previously served in the state House, is among a handful of elected officials preparing for that possibility. She has plans to personally perform a same-sex marriage this week if the ban is lifted.....
Clerks in Bay, Clare, Delta, Ingham, Isabella, Lapeer, Midland, Oakland, Tuscola and Washtenaw counties told Equality Michigan that they are ready to begin issuing licenses immediately after a ruling. Many county clerks have not yet responded, and others said they would wait for a directive from the state.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/gay_marriage_in_michigan_count.html
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