Appeals court halts gay marriages in Michigan

Nasir Khawaja, left, and Mark Sarver stand outside in line to apply for a marriage license at the Oakland County Clerks office in Pontiac, Mich., Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A same sex couple wait for a marriage license at the Oakland County Clerks office in Pontiac, Mich., Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Jayne Rowse, left, looks at April DeBoer as she reacts during a news conference in Ferndale, Mich., Friday, March 21, 2014. A federal judge struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday, the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. The two nurses who've been partners for eight years claimed the ban violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Marsha Caspar, 51, left, and Glenna DeJong, 53, of Lansing sign documents on Saturday, March 22, before they were married at the Ingham County Courthouse in the central Michigan city of Mason by County Clerk Barb Byrum. The wedding came the day after the state's ban on gay marriage was scratched from the state constitution by a federal judge. (AP Photo/Emma Fidel)

Kim Gillen, holds flowers for friends applying for a marriage license at the Oakland County Clerks office in Pontiac, Mich., Saturday, March 22, 2014. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. Some counties plan to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples Saturday, less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Michigan's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

CINCINNATI — A federal appeals court has suspended gay marriages in Michigan, putting on hold a decision by a lower court judge who had struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban.

The Cincinnati court’s order Saturday brings a halt to same-sex weddings in Michigan, at least through Wednesday. Dozens of couples got hitched earlier Saturday in at least four Michigan counties.

Federal Judge Bernard Friedman on Friday overturned Michigan’s constitutional ban, the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the country.

Two Detroit-area nurses who’ve been partners for eight years claimed the ban violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution. Nearly 60 percent of state voters in 2004 approved a constitutional amendment that recognizes marriage only as between a man and a woman.