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Florida's High Court Rules It's Okay To "Crank It Up"

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) – The next time you hop in your car, truck or SUV you might want to crank the radio up just a little bit louder – just on principle.

On Thursday, Florida's Supreme Court ruled that a state law which made it illegal to blast loud music from a car stereo was unconstitutional.

The high court's decision came in a pair of Pinellas County cases. Both motorists were cited for playing their car radios too loudly.

The justices called the law unconstitutional and said it violates free speech rights for several reasons including that it exempts vehicles used for business or political purposes.

The high court did not have a problem with a requirement in the law that a stereo must be "plainly audible" from 25 feet or more in order to be illegal. A lower court had questioned the constitutionality of that standard.

Instead justices ruled that people do have a right to play amplified music and that the law is intrusive.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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