By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, Mo. – A court ruling has led to changes in Missouri's Adopt-A-Highway program.
New regulations that took effect Monday remove bans on groups with a history of violence or deny membership based on race. That language had been cited by as a reason to deny participation to the Ku Klux Klan.
But the Klan sued and won on grounds that it had a First Amendment free speech right to participate. The Supreme Court rejected the state's appeal in January 2005.
The Missouri Department of Transportation says it took a year and a half to change the rules because it asked for lots of public suggestions about other ways to improve the program.