Cigarette companies can continue to sell so-called "light" and "low-tar" cigarettes while a challenge to a federal judge's ban on such marketing works its way through the courts, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said.

The Associated Press reported Oct. 31 that the appeals court blocked implementation of the ruling by Judge Gladys Kessler, who ordered tobacco firms to cease marketing that she called misleading and part of an ongoing racketeering scheme by Big Tobacco.

Kessler banned the use of terms like "low-tar," "light," "ultra-light," and "mild" to describe cigarettes; tobacco firms appealed the ruling, saying that it could cost them money and customers.

"Judge Kessler's finding was that these companies have lied to the American people for 50 years," said William V. Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We're confident that, if it means going all the way to the Supreme Court, the government's case will be vindicated and the industry will be held accountable."