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Same-Sex Marriages in Tenn. Case Again Invalid

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal appeals panel says that while the lawsuit of three same-sex couples who were wed in other states makes its way through the courts, Tennessee does not have to recognize their marriages.

In March, a U.S. district court judge in Nashville granted a temporary injunction to the six plaintiffs, forcing the state to recognize their marriages.

But on Friday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati put the lower court's order on hold because, as the ruling words it, "the law in this area is so unsettled."

The court says Tennessee's appeal of the injunction should receive an expedited hearing.

In Tennessee, marriage between partners of the same gender is prohibited by state law and by a constitutional amendment approved in 2006.