A federal judge has temporarily prevented New York from requiring Catholic nuns to comply with the state’s assisted-suicide law while their legal challenge proceeds. The ruling matters because the nuns argue that the law could force them to act against their religious beliefs in healthcare-related situations.

The case concerns orders of nuns represented in a lawsuit against the state, which says the assisted-suicide measure threatens their ability to follow Catholic teaching. The decision does not settle the underlying dispute, but keeps the state from enforcing the requirement against the plaintiffs during the litigation.