A federal judge has denied requests from the state of Wyoming, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, and pro-hunting groups to change a decision last week that reinstates federal protections for wolves in the state.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday denied requests to change her ruling.
Wyoming had requested fast action on its reconsideration request because the state had planned to allow hunters to begin killing wolves Wednesday in an area bordering Yellowstone National Park. The judge's ruling bars any hunting.
Conservation groups sued in 2012, saying the state's management plan failed to protect wolves adequately. The state plan classified wolves as predators that could be shot on sight in most areas.
A lawyer for the state says officials haven't decided whether to appeal.