The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order late Friday, stopping the transfer planned for Monday. The court said the case raises questions about a federal judge’s authority over state prisons and that beginning the takeover could cause the state “irreparable harm” if the state wins its appeal.

The order still allows an outside corrections professional appointed as receiver to begin operational planning. The receiver will not yet assume management of the prison health system.

The dispute follows more than a decade of litigation over Arizona’s prison medical care. Complaints have alleged inadequate and callous treatment, and prior court findings described a system that exposed incarcerated people to harm and preventable deaths.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver ordered the receivership, finding that the state had failed to meet court-ordered requirements over years of litigation and that systemic deficiencies continued to leave prisoners at grave risk. The requirements included constitutional obligations to provide adequate care.

State attorneys argued that a receivership was an extreme remedy, that the judge had not first tried less sweeping measures to accelerate compliance and that the Department of Corrections had not been given sufficient time to make further progress. The appeals court’s order delays the management transfer while those arguments are considered.