By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal appeals court is again weighing whether and how states can cut off federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood.

A federal district judge blocked Texas' effort to stop Planned Parenthood funding in 2017. But a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said the district judge didn't follow proper legal standards.

Earlier this year, the full court agreed to rehear the case. On Tuesday, 16 judges appellate judges heard arguments.

Among them were four nominees of President Donald Trump who filled vacancies after the court narrowly upheld a decision protecting Planned Parenthood funding in Louisiana in 2017.

It's unclear when the full court will rule. The outcome could also affect Planned Parenthood in Louisiana and Mississippi.

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This story has been corrected to show that four of the judges hearing the case, not three of them, joined the court after its 2017 ruling.

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