A KKK Georgia highway adoption can proceed, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday, after the state highway department turned down a local Ku Klux Klan chapter's effort to join the program for cleaning up roadside litter.
The International Keystone Knights of the KKK's bid to adopt a one-mile stretch of State Route 515 in Union County initially was rejected by the state transportation department, which said that "erecting a sign naming an organization which has a long-rooted history of civil disturbance would cause a significant public concern,"
The Wall Street Journal reported.
That decision led to a lawsuit filed in 2012 by the ACLU of Georgia on behalf of the KKK chapter. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shawn LaGrua ruled that the state's decision to decline the KKK's request “represents an unconstitutional infringement on an applicant’s right of free speech," the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The case now returns to LaGrua for a trial.
The "Adopt-A-Highway" program, launched in 1989, recruits volunteers to pick up trash along the highway at least four times a year. In return, the state erects a sign bearing the name of the group.
The Supreme Court decision ultimately came down to an error in how the transportation department filed the appeal that related to jurisdiction,
CNN reported.
Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden wrote in his denial letter that the segment of highway the KKK sought to adopt was a controlled-access section unsafe for volunteers. He also said a sign naming the KKK could lead to "social unrest, driver distraction, or interference with traffic flow."
Twitter users seemed incredulous.
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