Jayne Rowse, left, and April DeBoer of Hazel Park are among couples who won their Supreme Court cases Friday morning.
County clerks in Washtenaw County, Ingham County and other areas are preparing to issue marriage licenses for same-gender couples as early as this afternoon.
A ceremony in Grand Rapids took place within an hour of a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Friday morning that said all 50 states must allow such weddings.
"The history of marriage is one of both continuity and change,” says the majority opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, quoted by ABC News. “That institution -- even as confined to opposite-sex relations -- has evolved over time."
“As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. . . .
"Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
Gov. Rick Snyder reacts promptly, tweeting:
Gov. Rick Snyder: It’s important to respect #SCOTUS decision, focus on dignity. http://t.co/aqFGft4BX6 pic.twitter.com/Q0MkuS9BMm
— Governor Rick Snyder (@onetoughnerd) June 26, 2015
In a statement, he adds:
Same-sex marriage has been a divisive issue in Michigan and across our country. Recognizing that there are strong feelings on both sides, it is important for everyone to respect the judicial process and the decision today from the U.S. Supreme Court. Our state government will follow the law and our state agencies will make the necessary changes to ensure that we will fully comply. Let's also recognize while this issue has stirred passionate debate, we now should focus on the values we share. With this matter now settled, as Michiganders we should move forward positively, embracing our state’s diversity and striving to treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve.
In a case from Michigan that's one of four leading to today's ruling, Hazel Park nurses April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse challenged a same-sex marriage ban passed by voters. The couple argued that they have a right to marry and adopt each other's children. But the state argued that the will of the voters should not be overturned by a court.
The two Oakland County women got today's news in Ann Arbor, where they had gathered with supporters in expectation of a ruling. Ben Freed of MLive is there:
April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse jumped up in joy before starting to cry when they found out their marriage would be recognized by the state of Michigan and the United States of America. . . .
"I'm elated," DeBoer said. "This is what we've been waiting for. Now apparently we have to plan a marriage. . . .
"It really means everything to us that marriages and relationships like ours are going to be recognized and we're going to be treated equally, at least on the marriage grounds," DeBoer said. "And children like ours will no longer be discriminated against and treated like second class citizens. That's been our main goal all along."
"We should all thank April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse for the inspiring example they set as parents and as citizens of our state committed to equality for all," U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin of Metro Detroit posts on Facebook.
In March 2014, after a federal trial of their challenge to Michigan's gay marriage ban, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman in Detroit overturned the law as unconstitutional. His ruling led to 300-plus same-sex marriages being married in Ingham, Muskegon, Oakland and Washtenaw counties during 10 hours before Michigan's Atty. Gen. Bill Schuette got the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to put a hold on the ruling while it appealed.
Related article: Detroit Fed Judge Bernard Friedman Reacts to Marriage Ruling with Tears
In western Michigan, the Kent County clerk was ready to move swiftly Friday, as this TV news tweet shows:
Zach and Colby Roanhorse, the first same-sex couple to be married in Kent County today pic.twitter.com/zK8oCf4QRd
— FOX 17 (@FOX17) June 26, 2015
In Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum says his office is ready to grant licenses immediately, Freed reports at MLive.
The clerk's office, located at 200 N. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor, already has the forms and computer systems necessary to process any kind of marriage.
"We have experience issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples thanks to our brief run last year," Kestenbaum said. . . . "When the law changes, we'll be ready to go."
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum told the Detroit Free Press last week that her staff got extra training to handle a possible influx of people.
Byrum said couples who want to get married are eagerly awaiting the ruling. She has about three dozen couples set up to receive an email alert in case the court rules in favor of same-sex marriages.
The Freep also spoke to Macomb Clerk Carmella Sabaugh, who "said her office would change wording on the affidavit or application for license to marry to state 'applicant one' and 'applicant two' instead of male and female if her office does not yet have a supply of new forms from the state."
-- Alan Stamm
