DETROIT (AP) — Six Democrats in Michigan's congressional delegation are asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to recognize more than 300 same-sex marriages performed last weekend.
The marriages were completed before an appeals court suspended a decision that overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. The lawmakers want the government to treat the same-sex couples as legally married for the purpose of qualifying for federal benefits.
Gov. Rick Snyder says Michigan won't recognize the marriages for state benefits.
In January, Holder said the government would honor same-sex marriages in Utah in a case very similar to Michigan's. The Justice Department so far has said it's monitoring the situation in Michigan.
The letter is signed by Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, and Reps. John Dingell, Sander Levin, Gary Peters and Dan Kildee.
Hans Ahlström is the host of several programs including the daily musical variety show Weekday, the mostly straight ahead jazz show Night Studio, the self explanatory Blues Today, and the eclectic Sound Spectrum. You can also hear Hans as the local host of NPR's All Things Considered news magazine. He also helps manage Public Radio 90's web content, interviews local and visiting writers and artists, works with NMU student interns, and writes the occasional news story.