The US Supreme Court [official website] on Monday declined [order list, PDF] to hear an expedited appeal [JURIST report] of a ruling that blocked the Department of Justice (DOJ) from cancelling [JURIST Report] the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The DOJ took the unusual step of appealing to the Supreme Court before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit weighed on the trial court judgement. The Supreme Court denied the case without prejudice and asked the appeals court to proceed expeditiously when deciding the case.

The order means the Department of Homeland Security must continue to accept renewal applications from people who are currently enrolled. However, applications from people who have not participated in the program before are not required to be considered. The case is currently in the early stages of being heard before the Ninth Circuit.

Another federal judge in New York also blocked the Trump Administration from ending the DACA program earlier this month. [JURIST Report]. The DACA program will not end on March 5 and will continue to run at least until a decision is reached by the Ninth Circuit. The DOJ could appeal to the Supreme Court again once the appeals court rules on the matter.