Update, 11:31 eastern, from the NRDC News Release:

More than 110,000 acres of Utah wilderness will be protected from oil and gas companies as a result of a ruling last night by Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court. Judge Urbina granted a temporary restraining order that prevents the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from moving forward with these land leases. A coalition of environmental groups -- led by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Wilderness Society, and Earthjustice -- filed a lawsuit on December 17, 2008 to prevent the leasing of public lands.

"This ruling is a huge victory in protecting our nation's pristine wildernes from destruction due to oil and gas drilling," said Sharon Buccino, senior attorney for NRDC. "The case will now be heard in court, and we will do all we can to permanently protect Utah's wilderness."

Original post:

The Bush Administration's attempt to lease some of our most treasured lands for oil drilling was blocked today by a federal district.

District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina issued a temporary restraining order against the Department of Interior's efforts to lease land that NRDC Trustee Robert Redford calls "one of America's few remaining wildnerness places."

Citing Winter v Natural Resources Defense Council, Juge Urbina offered four reasons when a federal court can issue temporary restraining orders:

1. Likely success on the merits.
2. Likely irreparable harm in absence of preliminary relief.
3. The balance of equities "tips in his favor."
4. That an injunction is "in the public interest."

In the remainder of his five-page ruling, Judge Urbina discusses why NRDC and the other environmental groups who sued are likely to succeed on each of those points.

The ruling, as Sharon Buccino, the Director of NRDC's Lands Program, noted in an email is a "great win."

Stay tuned for continuing analysis and next steps in this remarkable last-gasp case against the Bush Administration's failed stewardship of our public lands.