NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge has ordered the city of New Orleans to scale back its plans for creating a "clean zone" where the use of banners, signs and flags would be restricted during Super Bowl festivities.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order. It says the city can only enforce the limits in an area near the Superdome, where the game will be played Feb. 3. The city also planned to enforce the rules in the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods.

The judge's ruling comes after the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of an activist and a street preacher. They claimed a new city ordinance and a code enforcement guide trample on their free speech rights and limit their activities.

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