Dennis was one of three judges on a panel that heard the appeal to '' Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar '' , a case challenging the U.S. Department of the Interior six month moratorium on exploratory drilling in deep water that was adopted in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the subsequent oil spill . The Fifth Circuit panel denied the government 's emergency request to stay the lower court 's decision pending appeal
subsequent oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
James L. Dennis