Biden Oil Leasing Ban Is Up in Air After GOP Foes Win in Court

President Joe Biden’s plans to curtail fossil fuels hit an early roadblock Tuesday, when a federal judge ruled against the administration’s temporary ban on selling new drilling rights on federal lands and waters.

The preliminary injunction issued late Tuesday by Louisiana-based U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty also is a victory for Republican state attorneys general who have launched a legal attackon Biden’s broad policy agenda by challenging his moves on everything from immigration to energy.

Tuesday’s ruling, sought by 13 red states, blocks the Interior Department from continuing to halt the sale of new oil and gas leases ...