A federal appeals court ordered a rehearing on a lawsuit seeking to overturn a presidential ban that prevents lobbyists from serving on federal advisory committees. At issue is a 2012 suit filed in U.S. District Court for D.C. by six lobbyists who argued the ban violated their constitutional rights because it discriminates against their profession. President Barack Obama enacted the ban in 2009 as part of an effort to dilute the influence of special interests in government. A district court judge dismissed the case last year, but in an opinion issued Jan. 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. called that dismissal "premature." "Appellants have pled a viable First… Read More