Merry Xmas! Love, ACL-FU

NEW ORLEANS - A Louisiana woman ran afoul of police when she gave her neighbors an unusual holiday greeting, hanging Christmas lights in the shape of a middle finger.

Sarah Childs was in a dispute with some of her neighbors in Denham Springs, just east of Baton Rouge, so she decided to send a message with her decorations. Neighbors complained and police threatened to arrest her, so she and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sued the city.

A judge ruled in her favor Thursday.

"I imagine it will be back up before too long," ACLU of Louisiana executive director Marjorie Esman said of the display.

U.S. District Judge James Brady issued an order temporarily barring city officials from interfering with the display. The order said the city's "continued efforts" to prevent Childs from displaying her holiday lights will violate her rights to free speech and due process.