U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman on Friday tossed Michigan’s ban on same-sex unions and, more importantly, did not stay or postpone his decision pending appeal.

That hasn’t stopped Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who has filed for an emergency stay.

Friedman roundly rejected the state’s argument that the will of the voters outweighed the rights of the minority.

Here is an excerpt, by way of the Detroit Free Press:

“In attempting to define this case as a challenge to ‘the will of the people,’ state defendants lost sight of what this case is truly about: people.

“No court record of this proceeding could ever fully convey the personal sacrifice of these two plaintiffs who seek to ensure that the state may no longer impair the rights of their children and the thousands of others now being raised by same-sex couples,” Friedman wrote.

“It is the court’s fervent hope that these children will grow up to ‘understand the integrity and closeness of their own family and its concord with other families in their community and in their daily lives.’

“Today’s decision is a step in that direction, and affirms the enduring principle that regardless of whoever finds favor in the eyes of the most recent majority, the guarantee of equal protection must prevail.”

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer