LANSING, MI -- Clerks in at least four Michigan counties plan to issue gay marriage licenses on Saturday in the wake of a federal ruling that overturned Michigan's ban.

U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman's historic ruling came down Friday evening after many clerks had already closed their offices for the week.

However, clerks in Ingham, Oakland and Washtenaw counties have since announced plans for special Saturday hours in order to accommodate same-sex couples.

Muskegon County Clerk Nancy Waters is expected to be on hand and issue marriage licenses to gay couples who marry at a local church.

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum had planned to perform marriages and issue licenses first thing Monday morning, but after tweeting that she could not sleep Friday night, Byrum announced plans to open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

"Too many loving, deserving couples have been forced to sit on the sidelines while Attorney General Bill Schuette panders to his extreme base and that’s why I’m opening my office today," Byrum said in a statement.

"Within moments of Judge Friedman’s ruling, my staff and I began preparing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. I look forward to marrying all loving couples in Ingham County and I am so honored to share this historic day full of love with our community."

Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum was the first to announce Saturday office hours (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), and the board of commissioners has authorized him to waive a three-day waiting period for marriage license applications.

Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown also announced that her office would be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and advised couples to bring their drivers licenses and birth certificates or passports.

Michigan residents seeking marriage licenses must apply in the county in which they or their spouse reside. The marriages may not be recognized if the court ruling is stayed.



Schuette has filed an emergency request for stay and appeal with the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and is seeking a response as soon as possible, according to a spokesperson.

In his filing, Schuette noted that same-sex Utah couples were married immediately after a district court ruling that was later stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result, he wrote, Utah is not currently recognizing those licenses, and the same could happen to couples in Michigan.

"The plaintiffs or others might obtain marriage licenses during the brief interim while the state defendants appeal the district court's decision, only to have them rendered a nullity during or after the appeals process, thereby throwing their legal status into confusion," according to Schuette's emergency request.

Prior to Friday's ruling, more than 30 county clerks had told the Equality Michigan advocacy group that they would offer marriage licenses if Friedman struck down the ban. However, some of them noted they would wait on the state for further instructions.

As of Friday afternoon, the Michigan Department of Community Health had not provided updated marriage license application forms, which currently include fields for male and female names, but some clerks indicated they would not wait for new ones.

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