DETROIT, MI (AP)-- Outside groups are weighing in on a major challenge to Michigan's ban on gay marriage, which will hit federal court in mid-October.
The Roman Catholic Church, law professors and constitutional scholars are among those who have been allowed to file briefs in the case. Arguments are set for October 16 in Detroit federal court.
April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse are Detroit-area nurses who want to overturn a gay-marriage ban that was approved by voters in 2004. They also want to sweep away a Michigan law that prevents same-sex couples from adopting each other's kids.
DeBoer and Rowse say both bans are discriminatory.
The Michigan Catholic Conference wants the gay marriage ban to stick. But scholars say it violates the U.S. Constitution.
