The federal judge in Texas who put the Obama administration’s new immigration policy on hold last week decided not to rush on the government request to move swiftly. On Tuesday, he gave the challenging states a full week to reply. The government on Monday had asked that he decide the issue in only two days.

Justice Department lawyers had told U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen of Brownsville that if he did not act on the delay request by Wednesday evening, it would go to an appeals court for a postponement. The judge seems to have responded by, in effect, calling the government’s bluff.  Next move: the government’s.

The 26 states who are so far winning the case against the new deferred-deportation policy had told the judge that they should be given at least a week to respond.  The judge obviously agreed, telling them to file their legal comments on the postponement request by the close of business next Tuesday.