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The state has long argued that it is, and that the will of 2.7 million voters — who in 2004 decided that marriage is only to be between a man and a woman — should not be drowned out by a single judge. The state also argues that it has a "legitimate" interest in preserving the traditional family structure because — it claims — children thrive best when raised by married moms and dads. Judge Friedman, though, sided with the plaintiffs: two Hazel Park lesbian nurses who argue the state has no "rational basis" for denying them the right to get married and adopt each others' children.

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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.

 

The ruling, which came just as courts were closing, at first dashed hopes for the handful of gays who waited hours to be married. "We've been waiting years and years — I thought the judge would've thrown us a bone," said Laura Quinn, 46, of Royal Oak. Friday was the 18th anniversary of her relationship with her partner, who stayed home while Quinn waited four hours hoping to obtain a marriage license for the couple, she said. When the courthouse closed, she trudged off, vowing to return Monday to try again.  And minutes after she'd driven off, the judge's ruling came down, making it likely that Quinn and many other gays will be lining up Monday morning outside the office of Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown.

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