The U.S. government asked a federal appeals court on Monday to put on hold a ruling barring it from indefinitely detaining people in the U.S. accused of providing substantial support to terrorist groups.

A group of writers, journalists and activists sued in Manhattan federal court earlier this year over a portion of the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it improperly expanded the president's ability to hold a person in military custody indefinitely without access to a lawyer or the courts.

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