The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request from the United States Department of Justice for a partial stay in the lawsuit over an Obama administration order on bathrooms in public schools, canceling oral arguments scheduled for Tuesday morning in Austin.

The Obama administration's order required public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.

Texas and 12 other states sued last year -- and U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth issued a temporary injunction.

The hearing could have provided key clues about whether President Trump eventually will defend -- or abandon -- one of his predecessor's hotly debated transgender policies. On Friday night, Trump's Justice Department submitted a brief withdrawing the federal government's previous request to limit the scope of O'Connor's injunction only to the 13 states that have sued.

That doesn't necessarily halt all objections to O'Connor's injunction, but suggests the new White House may not defend the school bathroom order as vigorously as the previous administration.

(AP contributed to this report.)

