The committee could vote to reverse a previous ruling that the departure of the three parties constituted a "significant change" in the political situation.

A precedent (a previous ruling) is binding on a judge if it was set by a higher court.

If previous rulings by regulators on similar issues are any indication, the deal is likely to face much scrutiny.

All the committee's previous rulings had been accompanied by arguments.

In December 2008, environmental groups and the company returned to court for an appeal of the previous ruling.

On March 22, 2010 the appeal court followed the previous rulings and the case against her was dropped.

A previous ruling had already shielded states from such suits in Federal courts.

The Court held that the use of age in custody analysis had not been explicitly required by previous rulings.

Legal experts who had raised questions about the judge's previous ruling said today that he may have diminished the possibility of an appeal.

With no previous rulings on the statute's scope, the outcome is unclear.