WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday ruled the Federal Communications Commission did not have the legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules.

A three-judge panel of the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the FCC lacked authority to reinstate the rules initially implemented in 2015 by the agency under Democratic former President Barack Obama but then repealed by the commission in 2017 under Republican former President Donald Trump.