The justices paused a lower court order pending a decision on whether the Supreme Court will take up the case, a major challenge to the Voting Rights Act.

An appeals court ruling that said private parties cannot file VRA lawsuits goes against settled law, attorneys said.

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented Thursday from the court’s decision to halt an outlier federal appeals court ruling that would have further limited the Voting Rights Act.