JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court says it ends a long-running dispute over whether the state of Mississippi or its capital, Jackson, control the city airport board.

Tuesday’s ruling by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could pave the way for the creation of a new board controlled primarily by state appointees. But city officials said Wednesday they were “seeking clarification” on the decision.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the city council and the city attorney said in a statement that the change in control of the airport board was “an unconstitutional takeover” of city assets. They also said the appeals court exceeded its authority by ordering the entire lawsuit to be dismissed rather than ruling only on a specific question, whether lawmakers could avoid answering questions in the case .

Republican lawmakers who pushed for a new board said Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport should have regional governing authority because it serves a regional customer base. Critics of the change said white suburban Republicans were trying to steal authority over an asset controlled by predominantly black Democratic officials.

In 2016, some Jackson residents sued then-Gov. Phil Bryant and several lawmakers months after Bryant, a Republican, signed legislation to create a new airport board. The changes were put on hold during the legal battle.

Members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority joined as plaintiffs and several appeals were filed.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel ordered a district judge to dismiss the suit, saying city-appointed airport board members had not shown they would be harmed by a change in governing authority.

“Groundhog Day is over,” wrote Appeals Court Judge Edith H. Jones.

Jackson retained control of the airport during the dispute, and city officials currently have the power to appoint a five-member board of directors.

Under the 2016 law creating a nine-person airport board, five members would be appointed by state officials: two by the governor and one by the lieutenant governor, the adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard and the director of the Mississippi Development Authority. There would also be one appointment each from the mayor of Jackson, the city council and the supervisors of suburban Madison and Rankin counties.