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U.S. Supreme Court will hear Michigan gay marriage case

The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Credit U.S. Supreme Court
The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take same-sex marriage cases from Michigan and three other states. The high court will decide this term whether the states' bans are constitutional.

In its decision to hear the case, the Supreme Court said the cases will be consolidated to answer two questions. From the decision:

The cases are consolidated and the petitions for writs of certiorari are granted limited to the following questions: 1) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex? 2) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?

The court says a total of 90 minutes will be granted for oral arguments on the first question, and a total of 60 minutes on the second.

NPR reports the case is expected to be heard in April, and a decision won't be expected until June 2015.

Copyright 2015 Michigan Radio

Jake Neher is a state Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He joined MPRN in September of 2012. Before that he served as a reporter and anchor for WFUV Public Radio in the Bronx, New York, and as News Director for KBRW Public Radio in Barrow, Alaska. He has been working in radio in some capacity since he was 15 years old. A native of southeast Michigan, Jake graduated from Central Michigan University in 2010. He has a master's degree in public communications from Fordham University.