Katrina Evacuees Lose Ruling

NEW ORLEANS, April 3 -- Authorities did not violate a couple's constitutional right to travel by stopping them from crossing the Mississippi River Bridge to escape the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a federal judge has ruled.

Hundreds of people who tried to flee New Orleans for safety after the Aug. 29, 2005, storm were not allowed to cross the bridge. They said police from suburban Gretna forced them to turn around. Police later said they blocked the evacuees because there were no supplies or services for them on the other side of the river.

Tracy and Dorothy Dickerson filed a lawsuit against Jefferson Parish, but U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon ruled in a decision made public Tuesday that "although the right to interstate travel is clearly established by our jurisprudence, the United States Supreme Court has not decided the question of whether the Constitution protects a right to intrastate travel."

A trial on the remaining issues in the case -- including whether police used excessive force and whether the Dickersons' freedom-of-assembly and equal-protection rights were violated -- is set for early next year.

Attorneys for the Dickersons did not return phone calls Tuesday.