NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge says that Tennessee must recognize the marriages of three same-sex couples while their lawsuit against the state works its way through the court system.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger issued a preliminary injunction barring Tennessee from enforcing state laws that prohibit recognition of their marriages. Trauger said in a written memorandum that her order is only preliminary and would only apply to the three couples.

The three same-sex couples were legally married in other states. They filed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's laws that prohibit recognition of their marriages. In Tennessee, marriage between partners of the same gender is prohibited by state law and by a constitutional amendment approved in 2006.

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