Federal judget delays Gulf drilling moratorium trial

An April 22, 2010 photo obtained by The Associated Press shows the Deepwater Horizon oil platform burning following a massive explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo)

NEW ORLEANS  — A federal judge has postponed a trial for an offshore service company's lawsuit against the Interior Department over a moratorium that had suspended deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after BP's oil spill.
The trial for Ensco Offshore Company's lawsuit was scheduled to start May 16, but U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman agreed last week to give both sides more time to submit briefs on pre-trial matters. A new trial date hasn't been set, but it won't start before July 22.
Ensco has accused the government of wrongfully delaying the issuance of permits for deepwater drilling since it lifted a moratorium on the projects in October.
Feldman struck down an initial version of the moratorium after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf last year