diff --git a/mozilla/webtools/bugzilla/buglist.cgi b/mozilla/webtools/bugzilla/buglist.cgi
index 75549e730df..8cb09d427cb 100755
--- a/mozilla/webtools/bugzilla/buglist.cgi
+++ b/mozilla/webtools/bugzilla/buglist.cgi
@@ -888,8 +888,6 @@ if (defined $::FORM{'order'} && $::FORM{'order'} ne "") {
     $::FORM{'order'} =~ s/assign\.login_name/map_assigned_to.login_name/g;
                                 # Another backwards compatability hack.
     
-    die "Invalid order: $::FORM{'order'}" unless
-        $::FORM{'order'} =~ /^([a-zA-Z0-9_., ]+)$/;
     ORDER: for ($::FORM{'order'}) {
         /\./ && do {
             # This (hopefully) already has fieldnames in it, so we're done.
@@ -910,6 +908,8 @@ if (defined $::FORM{'order'} && $::FORM{'order'} ne "") {
         # DEFAULT
         $::FORM{'order'} = "bugs.bug_status, bugs.priority, map_assigned_to.login_name, bugs.bug_id";
     }
+    die "Invalid order: $::FORM{'order'}" unless
+        $::FORM{'order'} =~ /^([a-zA-Z0-9_., ]+)$/;
     $query .= $::FORM{'order'};
 }