Nation IN BRIEF : GEORGIA : Judge Strikes Down Ban on Klan Masks

A Lawrenceville, Ga., judge has struck down a law that banned the Ku Klux Klan from wearing masks in public, saying the group was “persecuted” for expressing its racist views. State Court Judge Howard E. Cook ruled that the 1951 law prohibiting the use of masks in public violated the First Amendment and was unconstitutionally vague and broad. David M. Fuller, assistant county solicitor, filed a notice of appeal 30 minutes after Cook ruled in favor of a klan member, who had challenged the law by wearing the white headgear during a one-man demonstration.