LAS VEGAS — A federal court is blocking implementation of a regulation that would make an estimated 4 million more higher-earning workers eligible for overtime pay.

The U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas granted a nationwide preliminary injunction Tuesday that prevents the Department of Labor from implementing the changes until the rule's legality can be examined. The order comes after 21 states sued to block it before it took effect Dec. 1.

The regulation would more than double the salary threshold under which employers must pay overtime.