PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Florida federal judge says banned sprinter Justin Gatlin should be allowed to compete at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.

U.S. District Judge Lacey A. Collier's temporary restraining order is only in effect for 10 days, and the trials don't begin until June 27 in Eugene, Ore.

Gatlin's lawyer, Joe Zarzaur, says his client is "guardedly, cautiously optimistic."

A Monday hearing in Pensacola has been set to discuss the order.

In a strongly worded order, the judge said Gatlin had "demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of his case."

Gatlin's complaint alleged that penalizing him for a 2001 doping violation, which involved medication he was taking for attention deficit disorder, violates the Americans with Disability Act.

"We respect and will participate in the process," USA Track and Field spokesman Jill Geer said. "Our general counsel, Jones, will be in Florida on Monday to be part of the hearing."

Two weeks ago, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a four-year doping ban against the reigning Olympic 100-meter gold medalist. Gatlin asked CAS to rescind the 2001 doping violation — his first of two — which he had hoped would reduce his penalty to a two-year ban, allowing him to compete at trials.

Instead, CAS rejected that argument and changed the start of Gatlin's ban to July 25, 2006 — the day he voluntarily accepted his provisional suspension — instead of May 25, 2006. So he wouldn't be reinstated before the trials even if his ban had been reduced from four years to two.

Despite the judge's ruling Friday, it's not clear whether the international bodies that govern participation in the Olympics must abide by it.

When the CAS rejected Gatlin's appeal, CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb said the only legal option he knew of for Gatlin was to go before the Swiss Federal Tribunal, an appeal provided by Swiss law because CAS is based in Switzerland.

If Gatlin's suspension stands, Collier wrote, "the country, indeed the world, would be wrongfully excluded from watching one of its great athletes perform."