U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Photo:

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Photo:

ATLANTA — A federal appeals court in Atlanta says it won’t act on appeals in same-sex marriage cases until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the issue.

The Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which handles appeals from Alabama, Georgia and Florida, issued the order Wednesday. The order affects pending appeals in Alabama and Florida, as well as future appeals in a case currently before a federal judge in Georgia.

In Florida, that means same-sex marriages can continue as they have since Jan. 5.

In Alabama, a federal judge’s order overturning that state’s same-sex marriage ban comes into effect on Monday. Earlier this week, the appeals court refused to issue a stay of that ruling.

Alabama officials are now asking the Supreme Court to block the ruling.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in April in same-sex marriage cases from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. A nationwide ruling on the constitutionality of gay marriage bans could be issued by June.