The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday hit pause on an appeal looking to keep the Affordable Care Act the law of the land, despite opposition from a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general who want to push forward amid the government shutdown.

The order, signed by Judge Leslie Southwick, comes as the nation edges toward its longest shutdown in history. Federal courts are expected to run out of contingency funds on Jan. 18, and some district judges have already paused civil cases that involve federal agencies.