A panel for a federal appeals court has invalidated the marriages of three same-sex Tennessee couples, at least temporarily. The couples were married in other states, but live in Tennessee.
Last month, a US district court judge granted an injunction, forcing the state to recognize those marriages, but the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has now put that order on hold. The court has also ordered an expedited hearing on Tennessee's appeal of that injunction.
Seventeen states now allow same-sex marriage; federal courts have struck down bans in Michigan, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia. The Tennessee constitution and state law recognize marriages only between one man and one woman.
