FILE - In this March 5, 2013, file photo, April DeBoer, left, and Jayne Rowse pose at their home in Hazel Park, Mich. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday, March 21, 2014, the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. The two nurses who've been partners for eight years claimed the ban violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
March 21, 2014 - 2:13 PM
DETROIT - A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage, the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S.
Judge Bernard Friedman ruled Friday. Two nurses who've been partners for eight years claimed the ban violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
It was not clear if gay marriages could begin immediately.
Nearly 60 per cent of state voters in 2004 approved a constitutional amendment that recognizes marriage only as between a man and a woman.
Attorneys for the state urged the judge to respect the will of voters.
Scholars testifying for Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer said there were no differences between children raised by same-sex couples and those raised by a man and a woman.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014