In an unlikely pair, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who has fought for everything from LGBT to immigration rights, will be representing the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia. Denied by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to participate in the statewide Adopt-a-Highway program in Union County, the KKK reached out to the ACLU to argue their rights as an organization. "Yes, we are representing them, but we are still working on the strategy," said Debbie Seagraves of the ACLU, describing the case as a First Amendment issue.
In reference to the rejected application, DOT concludes that the highway cleanup program was open only to "civic-minded organization(s) in good standing." A similar 2005 case in Missouri, ruled that it was not constitutional to ban the KKK from their Adopt-a-Highway program based on the strong beliefs. "We don't know why they picked Union County," said Union County Commissioner Lamar Paris, a native of the county and the top elected official for a dozen years. "They could have easily chosen the last mile of Fannin County as opposed to the first mile in Union County."
