No appeal after state law on same-sex benefits is stopped

DETROIT (AP) - The state of Michigan won't appeal a decision that struck down a law barring local governments from offering benefits to same-sex partners. The American Civil Liberties Union says the state signaled that no further action was planned. The deadline to appeal passed this month. The 2011 law was approved by Republicans in the Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder. Detroit federal Judge David Lawson struck it down in November as unconstitutional. He says the aim of the law was to "destroy" stable relationships. The law had barred local governments and public schools from giving benefits to domestic partners, gay or heterosexual, but it had affected gays and lesbians almost exclusively. Published: Thu, Dec 25, 2014