Court upholds protesters' arrest

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A federal appeals court panel has ruled that Kansas City police officers had a right to arrest five pro-life demonstrators who were displaying large color photographs of aborted fetuses near a busy intersection.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Monday a lower court ruling that the officers did not infringe on the protesters' First Amendment rights.

In June 2001, officers asked the protesters to move their signs away from the intersection, saying they were causing a traffic hazard. When the protesters refused to move the signs, five were charged with loitering. The charges were dropped, but the protesters sued the police.