NASHVILLE (AP) - Three same-sex couples who sued Tennessee to force the state to recognize their out-of-state marriages will join couples from Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide their cases.

A three-member panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld gay marriage bans in the four states.

In a 2-1 decision, the court found that nothing in the U.S. Constitution gives same-sex couples a right to marry. The couples have the option of asking for a hearing before the full panel of judges before going to the Supreme Court.

Attorney Abby Rubenfeld represents the Tennessee couples. She said on Friday that they would rather not draw out the process.

"We want to get this thing teed up and decided," she said.