A two-judge appellate court in New Jersey upheld its ruling that the state’s Department of Health must halt its review of nearly 150 applicants seeking to operate new medical marijuana businesses.

“This is yet another win for our clients, all of which have properly followed the (health department’s) procedures and have systematically and unfairly been disqualified from receiving permits for medical marijuana ATCs (Alternative Treatment Centers),” cannabis attorney Joshua Bauchner said in a statement.

Some licenses were denied because of technical errors. Bauchner challenged the decision in court, arguing the applications should be issued based on merit.

In December, the court granted a stay in the 2019 application process for new medical marijuana businesses. That led to the appeals process and the delay in awarding licenses.

The state health department, however, believed it did not need to stop scoring applications that had passed an initial review. The court told the department it had misinterpreted its order.

A hearing on the matter is expected to take place at the earliest on March 2.