Judge overturns Mississippi same-sex marriage ban

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has overturned Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage, but he is putting his order on hold for two weeks so the state can appeal.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday.

State attorneys have already said they will ask the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block Reeves' order.

Mississippi has a 1997 law and a 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment that define marriage as being between a man and a woman. Two lesbian couples and a gay-rights group filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn those. Reeves heard arguments Nov. 13.

Plaintiffs' attorney Roberta Kaplan says gay Mississippians deserve the dignity of equal treatment.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant and Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood filed written arguments asking Reeves to uphold Mississippi's marriage rules.