Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in favor of seven Republican-led states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and Utah — that challenged the Department of Energy’s “direct final rule” for consumer-grade stoves and ovens. Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham said the Energy Department should not have fast-tracked the rule, knowing that numerous states opposed a 2023 attempt to enact similar efficiency standards. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has long criticized energy conservation rules, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright pledged last month to permanently restrict efficiency mandates for home appliances that “raise costs and disrupt consumer choice.”