A federal appeals court has mostly sided with a man who wants to display a Nativity scene on a median on a busy road in suburban Detroit.
The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed a decision by a judge in Detroit who said Macomb County did nothing illegal by banning the display.
The ruling sends the case back to U.S. District Court, where a trial is possible.
John Satawa's display is 9 feet high, 8 feet wide and 8 feet deep. He claimed that the county violated free-speech rights and other constitutional guarantees.
The lower court had said Macomb County had legitimate concerns about safety. Satawa apparently had set up the display for decades before someone complained in 2008.
Macomb County is reviewing the latest decision.
