Roberts' decision will give the court more time to review the case. He ordered lawyers in the case to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

At the same time, however, the American Civil Liberties Union and its allies also took a victory lap. Lee Gelernt, the lead counsel for the immigrant plaintiffs in the case and the deputy director of the A.C.L.U.’s Immigrants’ Rights Project said the case represented an important victory.