In a significant victory for Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and her co-defendants, an Albany-based appeals court has stayed expedited discovery and a scheduled contempt hearing that had been secured by the older, non-certified Appellate Division justices in their age discrimination lawsuit against the state court system.

In a terse order, the Appellate Division, Third Department has granted an emergency appellate motion filed by DiFiore and the other court system defendants, ruling that Suffolk County Justice Paul Baisley Jr.’s Nov. 19 order setting out an expedited discovery schedule and slating a Nov. 30 civil contempt hearing—that was apparently meant to help force the defendants’ compliance with expedited discovery—is stayed in deference to Baisley hearing the defendants’ motions for dismissal and a change of venue.