In a win for plaintiffs, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Monday lifted its decades-old rule that barred litigants who win a preliminary injunction in subsequently moot civil rights cases from being considered a prevailing party and entitled to attorney fees.

The Richmond, Virginia-based appeals court said its bright-line rule had become “a complete outlier,” with other circuits holding that preliminary injunctions can confer prevailing party status.