A federal judge in a Louisiana district court has granted a motion for a preliminary injunction that will prevent the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority from acting as a partial regulator of racing in the states of Louisiana and West Virginia, according to a ruling released on Tuesday. Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued the ruling in response to a motion filed by the states of Louisiana and West Virginia in late June seeking the injunction due to their contention that the advent of HISA’s authority in the states was “wreaking havoc on the horseracing industry across the nation.” Though a partial victory, the ruling is the first success for opponents of HISA in a federal courthouse. Earlier this year, two separate courts dismissed challenges to the constitutionality of the enabling legislation establishing HISA, a private company overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. Louisiana and West Virginia were plaintiffs in one of the suits that had been dismissed. :: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Doughty noted in his ruling that “the geographic scope of the injunction shall be limited to the States of Louisiana and West Virginia.” The injunction will remain in place “pending the final resolution of this case” or orders from the court or a higher court, Doughty wrote. The plaintiffs in the case, which included organizations representing racing and breeding constituencies in Louisiana, had argued that HISA’s rules and regulations violated several constitutional doctrines. The alleged violations were similar to the allegations contained in the suits that were struck down by federal courts in Texas and Kentucky. The ruling impacts the limited set of rules that HISA is currently enforcing in participating states. Many of those rules concern racetrack safety and veterinary practices. It will also impact a requirement that all licensees participating in the states register with HISA. Although HISA has support from many constituencies in racing, a large number of horsemen, veterinarians, and jockeys in many states have been vocally opposed to many of the rules that HISA has begun to enforce. Louisiana in particular has been a hotbed of criticism of HISA and its rules. In a previous filing with the Louisiana district court opposing the motion for a preliminary injunction, attorneys for HISA had pointed out the two earlier federal decisions in the authority’s favor and had criticized the plaintiffs for filing the suit on June 29, two days prior to the advent of HISA’s jurisdiction in the case. In a statement issued in response to the issuance of the preliminary injunction on Tuesday afternoon, HISA’s chief executive officer, Lisa Lazarus, noted the “limited” geographic scope of the ruling and said that the ruling “does not question HISA’s constitutionality or validity.” “The reality is that the majority of racing participants support the Authority’s mission to protect those who play by the rules and hold those who fail to do so accountable in order to keep our equine and human athletes safe and the competition fair,” the statement read. “The immense collaboration with state racing commissions, stewards, veterinarians, racetracks, trainers, and other horsemen that has taken place to date is evidence of this support, and we intend to continue to fulfill our mandate and work to make the industry safer.” An option for HISA to contest the Tuesday ruling would be to file a request for a reversal of the preliminary injunction in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, also located in Louisiana.