Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Court Rejects Cordon at Abortion Clinic

A federal court ruled that a buffer zone to protect a Buffalo, N.Y., abortion clinic from protesters was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. In the ruling, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said the 15-foot protective zone around the clinic, included in a federal court injunction against abortion protesters from Project Rescue, was too restrictive and thus violated the protesters’ rights. The ruling comes two months after the U.S. Supreme Court approved a 36-foot sanctuary around a Melbourne, Fla., clinic.