Federal Appeals Court Upholds LAX Panhandling Ban

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a panhandling ban at Los Angeles International Airport in a lawsuit brought by a Hare Krishna group nearly two decades ago.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling on Wednesday may be the last word in the legal battle between the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of California and Los Angeles city officials.

The fight began in 1997 when the group filed a lawsuit to overturn the panhandling ban imposed by Los Angeles. The issue has since been argued in federal and state courts, with the California Supreme Court ultimately ruling in 2010 that the ban didn't violate free speech rights. Several California airports adopted similar bans after the Supreme Court ruling.

Groups can still hand out literature, speak with travelers and ask that they donate in the future.

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