An appeals court in New York has reinstated a lawsuit by three men who say they were put on a nationwide "No Fly List" because they refused to be informants.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan restored the lawsuit Wednesday.

A lower-court judge had dismissed their lawsuit against 25 named and unnamed federal law enforcement officers. The 2013 lawsuit filed by Muslim men in New York and Connecticut had sought unspecified damages after they were put on the list for individuals deemed a threat to airline safety.

The appeals panel said the Religious Freedom Restoration Act permits individuals to recover money damages against federal officers sued in their individual capacities for violating sincerely held religious beliefs.

Government lawyers had no immediate comment.