New Orleans, June 15 (RHC)-- A U.S. federal appeals court has ordered former Black Panther Albert Woodfox, the longest-serving prisoner in solitary confinement, to remain behind bars while Louisiana officials appeal a judge’s order for his immediate release.

Woodfox has spent 43 years in solitary for the murder of a prison guard, a crime for which he and late, fellow Angola 3 member Herman Wallace say they were framed for their political activism. Woodfox’s two previous convictions for the crime have both been overturned, but Louisiana officials are now seeking a third trial.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has now extended a stay on the judge’s order for his release, meaning it could be weeks or months until Woodfox is potentially freed.