Well, score one for the NFL in its labor dispute with the league’s players. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis set a June 3 hearing on the NFL’s request to keep the lockout in place until a new labor agreement is reached, fast-tracking the appeal as the league had asked.
From the AP:
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson issued her injunction stopping the lockout on April 25 and denied the NFL’s appeal two days later. The league appealed to the 8th Circuit, and the same three-judge panel issued a temporary stay of Nelson’s order on Friday.
The lockout was put back in place by the owners a few hours later. The 8th Circuit is still deciding whether to make the stay more permanent, until the appeals process can play out.
Via Twitter, NFL.com’s Albert Breer said the stay might be a good thing for both sides because it "pushes the process along, puts more pressure on sides to get an agreement.