INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal appeals court has put on hold a judge's order striking down Indiana's gay marriage ban.

The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago issued the stay order Friday. A judge had struck down Indiana's prohibition on same-sex marriage Wednesday, saying it's unconstitutional.

The court's order halts same-sex marriages in Indiana and leaves the status of those couples already married in limbo.

State attorneys had asked for the stay while it appeals. The attorney general's office says it's premature to require Indiana to change its definition of marriage until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the issue as is widely expected.

Courts across the country have granted stays of similar rulings at either the district or appellate level until appeals can decide the issue.