Government's efforts to consider safeguards on hold

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/24/2005 12:36:00 PM

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has put off the government's plea to remove an injunction that keeps it from considering treat-based safeguards on textiles.

The appeals court wants to wait until a merits panel of judges is formed on April 28 to review the appeal, which seeks to overturn the injunction itself. Oral arguments for that appeal are scheduled for May 5.

The March 17 ruling by Judge Haldane Robert Mayer effectively delays any final judgment on U.S. government's motion to stay for at least six weeks. Moreover, the merits panel is under no deadline to issue a ruling on the motion to stay once it is assigned the case.The Federal Circuit's decision came one month after the U.S. government made its final reply to the Court on the need for a stay.