Clerk Will Follow Judge's Orders on Gay Marriage

The elected clerk of a Detroit-area county says she'll follow the orders of a judge when it comes to same-sex marriage, not Michigan's attorney general.

Lisa Brown of Oakland County testified Monday in a trial that could overturn the state ban on gay marriage. Brown was asked about an email last fall from the attorney general's office, which warned county clerks not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, even if a judge threw out the ban.

The state was planning other legal moves at the time, but federal Judge Bernard Friedman took no action. Brown says she doesn't report to Attorney General Bill Schuette.

The state on Monday will start its defense of the same-sex marriage ban with economists and sociologists. Voters approved the ban in 2004.