A judge has allowed a lawsuit to proceed that seeks to stop "Star Wars" creator George Lucas from building a $400 million museum along Chicago's lakefront.

U.S. District Judge John W. Darrah's ruling Thursday means the project will almost certainly be delayed. A nonprofit group, Friends of the Parks, contends that construction of the 300,000-square-foot Lucas Museum of Narrative Art would violate public-trust laws that restrict development along Lake Michigan.

Darrah didn't explain his reasoning in court, but he's expected to issue a written ruling.

The Chicago City Council voted in October in favor of the museum, which would be built south of Soldier Field.

Lucas chose Chicago over San Francisco for the museum after saying the California city was "doodling around," while Chicago officials aggressively pursued the project.