--- description: Attorney General Eric Holder says the U.S. government will extend marriage benefits to the 300 same-sex couples who wed over the weekend title: Feds Will Recognize Michigan Same-Sex Marriages image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Gay Rights](/tag/gay-rights/) ## Gay Rights Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Feds Will Recognize Michigan Same-Sex Marriages  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 28, 2014 2:29 PM CUT  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 28, 2014 2:29 PM CUT The 300 same-sex couples who [married](http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/March/14-ag-320.html "undefined") over the weekend in Michigan during a brief period in which gay marriage was legal in the state will soon be eligible for federal marriage benefits, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday. “I have determined that the same-sex marriages performed last Saturday in Michigan will be recognized by the federal government,” Holder said. “These families will be eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages.” Hundreds of same-sex couples were married in Michigan Saturday during a brief period after the state’s gay marriage ban was struck down in court but before a higher court judge temporarily halted that ruling pending appeal. The move by Holder’s Department of Justice contravenes a decision by [Michigan’s governor](http://time.com/38954/michigan-gay-marriage-rick-snyder/ "undefined") not to recognize the marriages until the legal challenges have been resolved. Holder’s full statement is below: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/41655/feds-recognize-michigan-same-sex-marriages/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/41655/feds-recognize-michigan-same-sex-marriages/"},"headline":"Feds Will Recognize Michigan Same-Sex Marriages","datePublished":"2014-03-28T14:29:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:01:20.559Z","description":"Attorney General Eric Holder says the U.S. government will extend marriage benefits to the 300 same-sex couples who wed over the weekend","url":"https://time.com/41655/feds-recognize-michigan-same-sex-marriages/","keywords":["Gay Rights","Gay Marriage","Michigan","same sex marriage","Eric Holder"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/gay-rights/","name":"Gay Rights"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/41655/feds-recognize-michigan-same-sex-marriages/","name":"Feds Will Recognize Michigan Same-Sex Marriages"}}]}] ```