A federal appeals court agreed Tuesday to fast track the NFL's request to put its labor lockout in place until a new deal is finally worked out. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis set a June 3 hearing, with 30 minutes of oral argument for each side, before Judges Duane Benton, Kermit Bye and Steven Colloton. 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. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6472988
The quickest way for this lockout to end is for the 8th Circuit to rule in the NFL's favor and keep the lockout in place. This will force the players to make concessions to get a deal done quickly. If the 8th Circuit sides with the players, I think this process will only be drawn out much longer. Regardless, this 3-person panel will be the last to hear this case. No way does the Supreme Court take this case.
