A federal judge in Montana said Monday that grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park should remain a protected species, reversing a United States Fish and Wildlife Service decision to lift those protections last year.

The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen, effectively cancels what was to be the first bear hunt in the Lower 48 States since 1991.

Christensen temporarily blocked the planned hunt in Wyoming and Idaho last month, two days before the season’s opening day.

In a 48-page document released Monday, Christensen said the case — which would likely reverberate…