The Indiana attorney general's office said late Thursday that it would appeal a ruling ordering officials to recognize the out-of-state marriage of a terminally ill lesbian.

Among the five couples challenging the state's ban on gay marriage are Niki Quasney and Amy Sandler, who have been together 13 years and married last year in Massachusetts.

Roughly a week after holding a hearing in his Evansville chambers, U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young extended a 28-day temporary restraining order forcing the state to recognize the couple's marriage so that Quasney, who has stage 4 ovarian cancer, can be listed as married on her anticipated death certificate and Sandler listed as her surviving spouse

In his 14-page order, Young suggested that he was likely to rule in favor of the plaintiffs: “Currently, all federal district court cases decided post-Windsor indicate that Plaintiffs are likely to prevail.”

Indiana officials argued that recognizing the couple's marriage before the case has been settled could raise false hopes for other gay couples.