The Jan. 10 order struck the original Jan. 17 deadline given in the memorandum opinion and gave the state the responsibility to come up with new deadlines for the upcoming May 8 election.
Attorneys filed the motion for a stay Jan. 6, which would clarify rules the state would work under while waiting for an appeal to the nation's highest court.
The filing period for candidates hoping to run for Congress in this year's election began Jan. 9 and will end Jan. 28.
"The filing of an appeal by the defendants likely makes it more difficult (or even impossible) for Secretary Tennant, county officials, and potential candidates for Congress to comply with the current deadlines, but that is a choice reserved for the state, which certainly has the ability to modify those deadlines in aid of its litigation strategy," the Jan. 10 order stated.
However, deadline stress is not enough to show irreparable harm, judges wrote in the order.
"Therefore, reiterating our strong preference that the state act on its own behalf in redistricting, we shall defer any and all action with respect to a remedy until after the Supreme Court has disposed of defendants' forthcoming appeal," the order stated.
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Stephen Skinner, representing the Jefferson County Commission, also said he is pleased with the order.
"It shifts even more of the burden back to the state to come up with a plan," he said. "It puts a lot of pressure on everybody to work it out as quickly as possible... Time is ticking."
