A three-judge panel said it won't stop Tennessee officials from taking over Nashville's airport operations while a lawsuit challenging the recently enacted statute allowing the change moves forward.

In a decision handed down Monday by the Chancery Court for the State of Tennessee's Twentieth Judicial District, the judges criticized Nashville city leaders for "inexplicably" waiting weeks before they asked the court to block the law from taking effect. City officials had been aware of possible legal issues since Republican lawmakers proposed the legislation, which was signed into law in May, but they didn't seek a temporary injunction until hours before it was set to take effect on July 1, the judges said.