Angelina Jolie scored a huge victory in court on Friday as her custody battle with her ex Brad Pitt continued. The victory came when an appeals court disqualified a private judge being used in the case, which is something Jolie had been fighting for over the past few months.

Fox News reported that the 2nd District Court of Appeal in California sided with Jolie, who argued that Judge John W. Ouderkirk didn’t sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt’s lawyers.

“Judge Ouderkirk’s ethical breach, considered together with the information disclosed concerning his recent professional relationships with Pitt’s counsel, might cause an objective person, aware of all the facts, reasonably to entertain a doubt as to the judge’s ability to be impartial. Disqualification is required,” the ruling stated.

This decision means that the custody battle over Jolie and Pitt’s five minor children, which has been ongoing for five years, may be starting over. Their sixth child Maddox is no longer involved in the case because he is 19 years-old and therefore designated as an adult.

Like many other celebrity couples, Jolie and Pitt had chosen to hire their own judge in the hopes of keeping their divorce proceedings more private. Pitt’s lawyers said that the ruling was based on a technical issue and that the judge’s previous decision to allow the actor to share custody was based on the testimony of expert witnesses.

“We will continue to do what’s necessary legally based on those detailed findings of what’s best for the children,” Pitt’s lawyers said, according to Yahoo News.

Ouderkirk had given Pitt joint custody of the children back in May.

“All Brad ever wanted was to have joint custody of his children and he is relieved that the court ruled in his favor,” a source said at the time. “This is a huge deal given the prior arrangement with the children. Brad can’t wait to spend more time with them. He’s incredibly happy.”

A source said at the time that Jolie was “bitterly disappointed” with the decision and planned to use “everything she’s got” to fight the arrangement.

Pitt and Jolie split in September of 2016 after two years of marriage and twelve years together as a couple. While their divorce was finalized in 2019, their custody battle has been ongoing since then.