Georgia has rejected a Ku Klux Klan chapter's bid to adopt a highway and clean up roadside trash, according to news reports.

A First Amendment court fight is now likely.

In a statement, the Georgia Department of Transportation said it rejected the application of the International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan after consulting with Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, and the chair of the State Transportation Board. The white supremacist group applied May 21 to put its name on a one-mile stretch of Route 515 in the Appalachian Mountains of Union County, northern Georgia.

The Adopt A Highway Program is designed to allow civic-minded organizations in good standing to provide the valuable public service of removing litter from designated roadways. Participation in the program should not detract from its worthwhile purpose. Maintaining the safety of our roadways is this Department's foremost mission. Encountering signage and members of the KKK along a roadway would create a definite distraction to motorists. Also, the section of roadway requested is ineligible for adoption due to its posted speed limit exceeding the program maximum of 55 mph. Further, promoting an organization with a history of inciting civil disturbance and social unrest would present a grave concern to the Department. Finally, issuing this permit would have the potential to negatively impact the quality of life, commerce and economic development of Union County and all of Georgia.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is seeking Klan comment but notes that Harley Hanson, the "exalted cyclops of the KKK Realm of Georgia," had previously told the paper he would file a lawsuit if the application was rejected.