A federal judge on Wednesday denied a terminally ill gay man's request to force Michigan officials to recognize his out-of-state marriage.

Bruce Morgan, who is fighting a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, and Brian Merucci have been together seven years and married in New York two years ago.

They sued Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder after officials refused to recognize their marriage.

Lawyers representing the couple argued that a stay in their case should be lifted since Snyder has decided against fighting a federal injunction ordering the state to recognize the marriages of 300 gay couples who exchanged vows last year during the 1 day it was legal. The state's ban was struck down by a federal judge, but the judge's order was stayed the following day by an appeals court. The appeals court eventually overturned the ruling and plaintiffs appealed to the Supreme Court, which will hear arguments in the case Tuesday, with a ruling expected in June.

U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist disagreed with plaintiffs, saying that the case, Caspar v. Snyder, “does not change the circumstance giving rise to the Court's initial decision to stay the case.”

“Caspar did not involve recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages,” Quist wrote. “Rather, Caspar concerned whether the State of Michigan could refuse to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed in Michigan and 'solemnized pursuant to Michigan marriage licenses issued in accordance with Michigan law' during the brief period of time between the district court's ruling in DeBoer and the Sixth Circuit's issuance of a temporary stay.”

“While the Court is not unsympathetic to Plaintiffs' circumstances in light of Plaintiff Morgan's health status, the Court is nonetheless bound by the Sixth Circuit's decision in DeBoer, which directly controls Plaintiffs' claims and remains valid,” he added.

(Brief provided by Equality Case Files.)