LANSING, MI -- Michigan laws are filled with outdated and unenforceable language as a result of Friday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down the state's gay marriage ban.

A statute that predates the 2004 ban approved by voters defines marriage as a unique relationship between a man and a woman and specifies that a marriage contract between same-sex individuals is invalid.

Beyond that, there are 132 Michigan laws that reference the word "wife," 149 sections that use the word "husband" and 199 that mention "marriage," according to Richard McLellan, an attorney and longtime Lansing insider who chairs the Michigan Law Revision Commission.

"What is the new terminology?" McLellan said Tuesday. "Is it husband and wife, and husband and husband, and wife and wife? Or is it a more generic term like 'spouse' or something?"

The commission, tasked with identifying anachronisms and inconsistencies in state law, will likely recommend possible changes to Michigan lawmakers later in the year.

Updating laws to conform with the Supreme Court ruling would help ensure that statues are readable by citizens without a law degree, but lawmakers are not technically required to make any changes, as legal gay marriage is now the law of the land.

The commission is unlikely to weigh in on more controversial issues, such as the interplay between same-sex marriage and religious liberty, according to McLellan.

Some Republicans in the Michigan Legislature are already discussing plans to add religious liberty protections to state law. Sen. Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said Tuesday that he expects his proposed Religious Freedom Restoration Act to advance later this year.

"I think the states now have the responsibility to step in and make sure they're protecting their citizens," Shirkey said.

Democrats and LGBT advocates, meanwhile, are renewing calls for expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which protects certain classes from discrimination in the workplace, housing market and places of public accommodation.

Gay couples who get married may now be afforded some protection because the law prohibits discrimination based on marital status, according to McLellan, but gays can still be fired in Michigan because of their sexual orientation.

"If I'm right, marital status includes marriage equality, and if somebody is discriminating against a person because they are in a gay marriage, it is a violation of Elliott-Larsen," McLellan said.

Vicki Levengood, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, said the department will follow established procedure when investigating discrimination complaints based on marital status.

"If you're legally married and your complaint is based on discrimination related to marital status -- and that's a protected class -- given that same-sex marriage is now legal, then we would investigate those cases in the same way we would a married couple prior to this ruling," said Levengood.

Marital status discrimination claims are relatively rare in Michigan, she said, noting that the department received just 10 such complaints between October and May.

MDCR has long advocated for expansion of Elliott-Larsen to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The department's 2013 report asserted that the "current state of discrimination" against LGBT residents has substantial and negative economic implications.

The gay marriage ruling "will not solve that problem," said Levengood.

Gov. Rick Snyder has backed calls for an Elliott-Larsen update, but competing bills stalled in the Republican-led Legislature last year, and new leadership has shown little interest in reviving the debate this session.

Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., D-East Lansing, is urging his colleagues across the aisle to pursue non-discrimination protections and "finally be on the right side of history."

Hertel, in a floor speech on Tuesday, said he was honored to witness a same-sex couple who had been together for 31 years get married Friday following the Supreme Court ruling.

"Unfortunately in Michigan, it brings to mind an abominable reality: That this couple could still be legally fired for being gay," Hertel said. "They could be denied housing because they live their life out loud."

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.