The decision to bar Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan from the United States because he contributed to a charity that supports Hamas is heading back to a lower court following a decision Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

The circuit vacated a ruling by Southern District Judge Paul A. Crotty dismissing a First Amendment challenge to the government’s denial of a visa to Mr. Ramadan, 46, a Switzerland-based academic, because he allegedly provided material support to a terrorist organization.