Previously, a three-judge panel of the appeals court struck down the ban on political advertising but upheld the ban on for-profit advertising. But the federal government sought a rehearing in front of the full panel of judges.This is an excellent example of an en banc hearing before a federal court of appeals, although the phrase "en banc" appears no where in the article. Remember, when one loses in the appeals court, one has two further options for appeal, either file a request with the Supreme Court (the normal route) or ask the full bench of the appeals court to review the ruling made by the three judge appellate panel. That is what happened here.
As an aside, being granted either form of appeal is extremely rare.
