SHOOTING SOMEONE THE middle finger might be rude, but it’s also constitutionally protected, a federal appeals court in Michigan ruled Wednesday. In a 3-0 decision, the court ruled that a Michigan woman’s rights were violated when she was given a speeding ticket after flipping off a police officer in 2017, according to the Associated Press.

Matthew Minard, a police officer in suburban Detroit, stopped Debra Cruise-Gulyas and wrote her a ticket for a lesser violation. When Cruise-Gulyas gave Minard the middle finger after the traffic stop ended, Minard pulled her over again and changed the ticket to a speeding violation, a more serious offense.

Cruise-Gulyas later sued, saying her free speech rights and those protecting her against unreasonable seizure were violated.

The appeals court said in its ruling that Minard “should have known better” than to give Cruise-Gulyas a speeding ticket. The ruling means a lawsuit by Cruise-Gulyas can go on.