UPDATE: No Same-Sex Marriage In Mississippi Before Appeal Ruling

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A federal appeals court says same-sex marriages won’t be allowed in Mississippi while the state defends its gay-marriage ban.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday agreed to a quick process for considering a dispute over Mississippi’s definition of who can marry.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves overturned Mississippi’s gay-marriage ban on Nov. 25, but put his decision on hold for two weeks to give the state time to appeal his ruling.

On Thursday, the 5th Circuit said the state cannot issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples during the appeals process.

The 5th Circuit also has appeals pending on disputes over gay-marriage bans in Texas and Louisiana.

Same-sex marriage is legal in more than half of the states.