Judges Weigh Trump’s Bid to Reopen Parts of Arctic to Drilling

Federal judges appeared torn on Friday over the legality of the Trump administration’s effort to reopen millions of acres of Arctic waters for oil and gas development.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard virtual oral arguments to review whether a lower court was right to reinstate Obama-era protections for Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas, as well as parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

The three-judge panel puzzled over claims that Congress created a “one-way ratchet” allowing presidents to bar development in offshore areas, but not allowing them to reverse such moves. A lower court endorsed the interpretation ...