NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's Supreme Court has thrown out a New Orleans ordinance limiting street art sales to two parts of the French Quarter, saying it violates the right to free speech.

Friday's 5-2 ruling came after Lawrence Clark challenged a ticket for showing art for sale in the broad median of a street bordering the French Quarter in 2016. Public defender Laura Bixby says the ruling means artists will be free to show art for sale in all other neighborhoods without risk of being cited for a crime.

The city did not immediately comment on the ruling. The minority opinion said that without the ordinance, anyone could sell artwork anywhere, undermining city efforts to keep up the French Quarter's character and economic vitality.