(CNN) At least for now, former White House counsel Don McGahn won't have to testify to the House of Representatives.

After McGahn appealed a judge's ruling from earlier this week that he must speak to the House, the judge, Ketanji Brown Jackson, gave McGahn a temporary pause on his case on Wednesday. The judge will continue to consider whether her ruling Monday should be kept on hold as he appeals. The appeals court said Wednesday evening that it would hear arguments on January 3, and put its own temporary hold on McGahn's testimony.

The judge noted that her order Wednesday "should not be construed in any way" as an indication of whether she agrees his testimony should stay on hold during the appeal.

In the course of this week's hearings, McGahn's case has become one of the fastest moving and potentially consequential court challenges for President Donald Trump during the impeachment inquiry and for future presidencies. If the appeals court — and potentially ultimately the Supreme Court — decides it in McGahn's favor, the White House could have the authority to broadly stonewall congressional investigations and even a Senate impeachment trial. If McGahn were to continue to lose in court, as he did this week, the House could gain vast ability to force top administration officials to appear before it.

The case, along with the House's ongoing attempts to get access to Trump's financial records and grand jury secrets from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, puts significant questions about the power of the President versus Congress in the federal courts' hands.

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