Judge Jennifer Elrod, a George W. Bush appointee, and Judge Kurt Engelhardt, a Donald Trump appointee, pressed a Department of Justice attorney about what would happen if the courts found that the law was unconstitutional.

Justice Department Attorney August Flentje said the administration is “appreciative” that the district court judge put his ruling on hold, stressing that if the Affordable Care Act falls, a lot must be sorted out.

“It’s complicated,” he said, noting that the case should go through all the appeals first.

The judges questioned whether Obamacare could be invalidated only in the 18 states that brought the lawsuit, while remaining valid in the rest of the country.

Douglas Letter, arguing for the now-Democratic controlled House of Representatives, later jumped on Flentje’s ambiguous responses, saying that the Justice Department’s position makes no sense. It would be impossible to divide up certain provisions by state, pointing out one that makes it easier to bring to market lower-cost versions of certain complex drugs.

The attorney for the House also stressed that he did not want the case to be sent back to the district court, saying that at a minimum the appellate court judges could strike down the individual mandate but uphold the rest of the law.