The Texas federal judge who ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional announced Sunday that the law will stay in place while states appeal his decision. On Dec. 17, District Court Judge Reed O’Connor had ruled that the “individual mandate” portion of the ACA couldn’t be considered a tax—and that since the Supreme Court had supported the ACA only because the individual mandate was a tax, the ACA was unconstitutional. Seventeen states, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, have since asked O’Connor to further explain parts of his ruling so they can file an immediate appeal. While O’Connor noted that he believes his decision will stand, he argued that “many everyday Americans” would “face great uncertainty” if the law were removed today.