Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MASON, Mich. (AP) — Gay couples in Michigan are calling it a day of "sheer joy," as they line up for marriage licenses for the first time.
Glenna DeJong and Marsha Caspar this morning became the first same-sex couple to marry in the state, following yesterday's decision by a federal judge overturning the state's decade-old ban on gay marriage.
Michigan's attorney general is planning an appeal and has asked a federal appeal court to stay the ruling until it's heard. Attorney General Bill Schuette notes that the U.S. Supreme Court suspended a similar decision in January that struck down Utah's gay-marriage ban.
Couples have been lining up at courthouses in four Michigan counties today out of concern that a stay could be granted at any time. DeJong says Michigan should not "waste taxpayer dollars and cause more turmoil" by pursuing a stay.
%@AP Links
020-w-33-(Ed Donahue, AP correspondent, with April DeBoer)--A federal judge has struck down Michigan's voter approved ban on same-sex marriage. The AP's Ed Donahue reports. (22 Mar 2014)
<<CUT *020 (03/22/14)££ 00:33
055-a-05-(April DeBoer, plaintiff in lawsuit to lift the ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan, at news conference)-"are so elated"-April DeBoer says she is very pleased a judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (22 Mar 2014)
<<CUT *055 (03/22/14)££ 00:05 "are so elated"
056-a-12-(Jayne Rowse, plaintiff in lawsuit to lift the ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan, at news conference)-"chest right now"-Jayne Rowse says she and her partner received a lot of support as this case was brought to court. (22 Mar 2014)
<<CUT *056 (03/22/14)££ 00:12 "chest right now"
058-a-10-(April DeBoer, plaintiff in lawsuit to lift the ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan, at news conference)-"can stay married"-April DeBoer says she and Jayne Rowse will get married when any potential legal blockades are out of the way. (22 Mar 2014)
<<CUT *058 (03/22/14)££ 00:10 "can stay married"
057-a-16-(April DeBoer, plaintiff in lawsuit to lift the ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan, at news conference)-"her and I"-April DeBoer says this case involves more than just her and her partner, Jayne Rowse. (22 Mar 2014)
<<CUT *057 (03/22/14)££ 00:16 "her and I"
059-a-13-(Ken Mogill, plaintiffs' attorney, at news conference)-"people in Michigan"-Attorney Ken Mogill says this ruling is about equality for everyone. (22 Mar 2014)
<<CUT *059 (03/22/14)££ 00:13 "people in Michigan"
APPHOTO RPEF101: Marsha Caspar, 51, left, and Glenna DeJong, 53, of Lansing sign documents on Saturday, March 22, before they were married at the Ingham County Courthouse in the central Michigan city of Mason by County Clerk Barb Byrum. The wedding came the day after the state's ban on gay marriage was scratched from the state constitution by a federal judge. (AP Photo/Emma Fidel) (22 Mar 2014)
<<APPHOTO RPEF101 (03/22/14)££
APPHOTO MIAAN101: Elizabeth Patten, left, holds up the first marriage ticket to marry her partner Johnnie Terry in front of the Washtenaw County Clerks office in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/The Ann Arbor News, Patrick Record) (22 Mar 2014)
<<APPHOTO MIAAN101 (03/22/14)££
APPHOTO MIAAN102: Rhonda Stoner of Ypsilanti, Mich., holds an application for a marriage license as she waits in front of the Washtenaw County Clerks office in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/The Ann Arbor News, Patrick Record) (22 Mar 2014)
<<APPHOTO MIAAN102 (03/22/14)££
APPHOTO MIPS105: Kim Gillen, holds flowers for friends applying for a marriage license at the Oakland County Clerks office in Pontiac, Mich., Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (22 Mar 2014)
<<APPHOTO MIPS105 (03/22/14)££
APPHOTO MIPS110: Same sex couples are married in a group by the Oakland County Clerk in Pontiac, Mich., Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (22 Mar 2014)
<<APPHOTO MIPS110 (03/22/14)££
APPHOTO MIPS103: Jayne Rowse, left, speaks as April DeBoer, kisses her during a news conference in Ferndale, Mich., Friday, March 21, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday 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) (21 Mar 2014)
<<APPHOTO MIPS103 (03/21/14)££
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
