The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to give opponents of President Barack Obama's immigration executive actions more time to prepare its case, but it’s a move that could benefit the Obama administration.

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Clerk Scott Harris notified lawyers in the case that an extra eight days was granted for the 26 states opposing the executive action to respond to the Obama administration's appeal. The lawsuit, set forth by Texas officials and supported by 25 other states, seeks to stop Obama's Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs, which would provide eligible 4.9 million undocumented immigrants with temporary three-year permits to stay in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the Obama administration, had appealed to the Supreme Court to review the case after setbacks in lower courts -- namely from a trial judge in Brownsville, Texas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Opponents of the DAPA and DACA expansion had requested a 30-day extension to further give time to prepare the case. If the Supreme Court had agreed with the 30-day extension, then a decision in the case could be delayed until 2017, after Obama exits the White House. The Supreme Court, however, decided on an eight-day extension, until Dec. 29, for opponents to prepare its case.

With the aforementioned December deadline, the Supreme Court will more likely render a decision on the immigration executive actions during the current term, which ends in June 2016. The extension, however, does not signify that the Supreme Court Justices will officially review the case; that will be determined after preliminary filings are submitted.

"This is a welcome development that brings the five million U.S. citizen children whose parents are DAPA-eligible closer to having their fate decided by the Supreme Court this term," said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. "Our communities have waited far too long already for much-needed relief, and Texas's request for a full month of extra time to prepare its response would only have exacerbated the pain we already feel. The Supreme Court's decision means there is a greater probability that the Court will hear this case in a timely manner."

Danny Cendejas, immigration campaign field director for the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), who has been challenging current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's stance on immigration, commented on the decision not to grant the 30-day extension. Cendejas said the 30-day extension was a "blatant attempt" by Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller to stall the lawsuit.

"The states fighting temporary relief for undocumented mothers, fathers and young people are clearly trying to delay the case as long as they can with the hope that a new president will undo President Obama's executive orders. They want to leave the nearly 5 million people who would qualify for relief in danger of deportation and being separated from their loved ones, and vulnerable to exploitation by their employers," said Cendejas in a statement, adding that TOP is confident the Supreme Court will rule Obama's immigration executive actions as constitutional.

Obama announced DAPA and DACA's expansion programs on Nov. 20, 2014. Shortly after, then-Texas Attorney General Abbott filed the lawsuit to block the programs, citing that the president overreached his executive authority and financial implications on states. Current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have continued the lawsuit's efforts.

The president does not have the unilateral authority to determine who is lawfully present in our nation, and we look forward to presenting our arguments in this case -- which have been accepted by federal courts three times," Paxton spokeswoman Cynthia Meyer said in an email statement to the Texas Tribune.

With Texas, 25 states have supported the lawsuit: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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