President Donald Trump notched an early victory in the struggle to wrest his agenda from the grasp of activist judges as the U.S. Supreme Court sided with his administration in one of the most closely watched showdowns.

Late Wednesday night, Chief Justice John Roberts granted the Trump administration permission to continue withholding billions of dollars in foreign aid, undoing a lower court ruling that ordered the president to dispense the funds immediately. The technical decision almost certainly will send the matter to the full court for review.

Roberts’ decision will prevent what many legal observers were wondering if they’d see: an administration ignoring a decision by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordering the doling out of $2 billion in unpaid invoices to contractors who previously performed work for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The White House was supported by Solicitor General Sarah Harris who filed for emergency relief, arguing it was impossible to comply with the deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday night set by Judge Ali.

Roberts offered no reasoning for his decision. He instructed USAID contractors and foreign aid groups to file their objections by noon on Friday.

Judge Ali, an appointee of President Joe Biden, ordered the Trump administration to comply on Tuesday after finding that it had essentially ignored his demand that the U.S. State Department lift its blanket freeze on foreign aid. Under Trump, State and USAID implemented new rationales for keeping the funds paused, according to Politico.

Before the issue reached Justice Roberts, the Trump administration filed for relief with a three-judge panel in Washington but was denied.