The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is asking the courts to revive a lawsuit challenging a federal law that bars student loans to individuals who have been convicted of drug offenses, the Sioux City Journal reported April 19.

The ACLU said the law, which has prevented more than 200,000 people from getting federal student loans, represents unconstitutional double jeopardy for individuals who have already been punished for a drug-related crime.

The lawsuit was dismissed in October by U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann, who said that Congress has a legitimate interest in discouraging drug use through the loan policy and that the ACLU failed to prove that the law represented double jeopardy. The ACLU is asking the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review Kornmann's decision.