A federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a lawsuit five Native Hawaiians filed against the Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees to stop the state agency from funding programs for those who have less than 50 percent Hawaiian blood.

U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway threw out the legal challenge last August, saying recent Supreme Court cases had undermined prior case law and the suit wouldn't be supported.

But a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Mollway's decision, saying there is well-established precedent supporting the basis for the suit.

The appeals court didn't rule on the merits of the case but instead ordered it back to District Court for consideration.