LOS ANGELES Nov 1 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday ordered the U.S. military's ban on openly gay troops to remain in place while the Obama administration challenges a lower-court opinion declaring the "don't ask, don't tell" law unconstitutional.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals effectively ruled that the ban should remain in effect for the duration of a landmark legal battle that has briefly forced the U.S. military to welcome openly gay recruits for the first time, then shut them out again.