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Judge strikes down gay marriage ban in Michigan

Posted at 6:25 PM, Mar 21, 2014
and last updated 2014-03-21 18:25:33-04

(CNN) — A federal judge on Friday ruled that Michigan’s prohibition on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution, ordering the state to stop enforcing the ban.

“Today’s decision … affirms the enduring principle that regardless of whoever finds favor in the eyes of the most recent majority, the guarantee of equal protection must prevail,” U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman wrote.

Michigan is the latest state in which federal judges have struck down state constitutional bans on gay marriage.

As in many of those decisions, Friedman said Michigan’s ban violates the equal protection clause prescribed in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

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