(CNN) The House of Representatives has won access to secret grand jury material gathered in former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and cited in the Mueller report, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday.

The ruling may breathe new life into a House Judiciary Committee investigation into President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice, which failed to gain steam since Mueller issued his report on Trump and testified last summer and since the White House has blocked administration witnesses from appearing before Congress.

The appeals panel sided with an earlier ruling from the chief judge of the DC District Court, who had roundly criticized the Justice Department's legal theories to keep the Mueller materials under seal and who had endorsed the House's investigation into President Trump . The appeals court agreed that the House Judiciary Committee has a "compelling need" to view the secretive details prosecutors had collected from witnesses and about the President.

The decision, which was split 2-1, highlights how the judicial branch typically stays away from interfering with other government branches' activities but in this case asserted control over grand jury material. The Justice Department could appeal the Mueller grand jury decision to the Supreme Court or again to the DC-based appeals court. A Justice Department spokeswoman said the department is reviewing the court's decision.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler applauded the court's ruling on Tuesday, and the committee pledged it would plan to work with the House Intelligence Committee to review the secret material.

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