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An Oakland County lesbian couple is expected to directly challenge a Michigan constitutional amendment that bars unmarried couples from jointly adopting children.

Attorneys for April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse plan to amend their federal case to get joint custody, according to a news release. The new pleadings, expected to be filed Friday in federal court in Detroit, would aim at Michigan's voter-approved constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages.

At issue is the attempt by DeBoer, who adopted a girl, and Rowse, who has adopted two boys, to create a unified family. The couple, who have been together 10 years, want to be joint adoptive parents of the children, but they cannot under state law.

The Michigan Attorney General's Office is asking that the case be dismissed, arguing that adoption policies are state, and not federal, matters. Rather than seek an exception to the state law, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman suggested last week that the couple challenge the amendment.