The new administration does not yet have a confirmed defense secretary, attorney general or solicitor general in place.

Just 15 men remain at the prison, down from hundreds when it opened 23 years ago. But the costly operation could go on for years.

A three-judge appeals panel will decide whether the plea deal Khalid Shaikh Mohammed reached to avoid a death-penalty trial remains valid.

Justice Department lawyers are defending the defense secretary’s decision to back out of the agreement that avoided a death penalty trial, moving the question from military to civilian courts.

A judge cited winter weather and a federal holiday for Jimmy Carter’s funeral as reasons for the delay. Government lawyers may also try again to overturn the plea deal.

The three-judge decision appeared, at least for now, to put plea proceedings for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two others back on track to take place in early January at Guantánamo Bay.