A federal appeals court has restored Georgia’s ban on giving food and drinks to people waiting in line to vote, sending the legal fight back to a lower court for another look.

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled Monday, Dec. 1, to cancel a preliminary injunction that had blocked enforcement of the law for the past two years. That injunction was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

In its decision, the three-judge panel said a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling—Moody v. NetChoice, LLC—changed how lower courts must evaluate broad, “facial” challenges to state laws. The appeals court said the district court did not apply that analysis, and directed the case back to the district court for further review.

The ban was passed by Georgia’s GOP-controlled General Assembly in 2021 as part of the state’s elections overhaul known as Senate Bill 202. One provision drew national attention: a restriction on giving voters “any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink,” while they are in line at polling places.

Supporters of the law argue the restriction helps prevent improper influence around polling locations. In response to Monday’s ruling, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger praised the decision, saying it reinforces the state’s authority to protect voters from interference at the polls.

Civil rights groups have challenged the ban, calling it a barrier to voting. Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice had also sued over the law, arguing it violated the Voting Rights Act—though that lawsuit was later dropped.

With Monday’s ruling, the case now returns to the district court in Atlanta, where the judge overseeing the dispute will revisit the challenges under the legal framework the appeals court said must be applied.