Protestors picket outside Federal Court in Detroit Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, before a trial that could overturn Michigan's ban on gay marriage. Gay couples poised for a favorable ruling last fall had lined up for licenses at county offices across Michigan, only to be stunned when U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman said he wanted to hear testimony from experts. The case began in 2012 when nurses Jayne Rowse, 49, and April DeBoer, 42, of Hazel Park sued to try to upset a Michigan law that bars them from adopting each other's children. But the case became even more significant when Friedman invited them to add the same-sex marriage ban to their lawsuit. They argue that Michigan's constitutional amendment, approved by voters in 2004, violates the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, which forbids states from treating people differently under the law. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Mandi Wright) DETROIT NEWS OUT; NO SALES
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