ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia court is weighing whether the state violated a Ku Klux Klan group's constitutional rights by refusing to allow it to participate in a highway cleanup program.

The Georgia Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case Thursday and will issue a decision in the coming months.

The judges said they were interested in arguments from both sides about whether a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month applies. The high court sustained Texas' refusal to issue a license plate bearing the Confederate battle flag.

The north Georgia KKK group's application for the Adopt-A-Highway program was denied in 2012. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation sued on the group's behalf, saying its right to free speech was violated.

In November, a judge ruled in the organization's favor. The state appealed.