After the state’s lead attorney requested a delay, the 1st District Court of Appeal has pushed back arguments in a battle about a 2011 state law that threatened tough penalties if city and county officials approve gun regulations.

The Tallahassee-based court issued an order Friday scheduling the arguments on July 14. The court was scheduled to hear the case June 16, but state Deputy Solicitor General James Percival submitted a filing this week asking for a continuance.

The filing said Percival’s wife is expected to give birth to twins and it will be difficult to “obtain help from extended family members and friends during this time given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

The state is asking the appeals court to overturn a circuit judge’s ruling that said parts of the 2011 law were unconstitutional.

Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws, and the penalties in the 2011 law were designed to strengthen that “preemption.”

The law, for example, could lead to local officials facing $5,000 fines and potential removal from office for passing gun regulations.

Local governments and officials filed three lawsuits challenging the 2011 law after the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people.

The lawsuits were ultimately consolidated in Leon County circuit court, where Judge Charles Dodson last year rejected parts of the law.

Dodson cited issues related to “legislative immunity,” which protects local government officials in their decision-making processes. He also pointed to the constitutional separation of powers, as judges could be asked to rule on penalizing local officials.

Supporters of the law, including the National Rifle Association, contend it is needed to prevent cities and counties from overstepping their legal authority in passing gun regulations.