A High Court judge made an interim order restraining the Minister for the Environment from appointing a new county manager for Longford County Council to replace Michael Killeen, who has been in the job since 1977.
Mr Killeen will reach the retirement age of 65 today but the council voted unanimously last April to retain him as county manager until June 2009.
Mr Justice Frank Clarke returned the matter to Thursday to allow the Minister an opportunity to be heard on the matter.
Senior counsel Roddy Horan, for the council, said Mr Killeen had been "a career local government employee". The council had voted unanimously last April to extend Mr Killeen's term of office until June 30th, 2009. The Local Government Act of 2001 contained a number of provisions and it entitled the local authority to apply for an extension of time, he said.
Mr Horan said the Minister had sought to appoint a temporary county manager from midnight. "There is no pressing reason for the Minister and the department to insist that the present county manager retires."