The Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth Incorporated had sued the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior for allowing developers to construct six 20-story buildings on the Fort Morgan Peninsula.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Butler issued a 50-page order that takes the federal officials to task for granting permits for the project prematurely.

Butler's decision allows the case to proceed to a possible trial.

Attorney Esther Boykin of Earthjustice said this means the court will give the case a fair hearing and preserve the habitat of beach mice in the meantime.