And the Supreme Court yesterday overturned a federal racketeering judgment against a network of anti-abortion protesters that shut down abortion clinics nationwide through human blockades during the 1980s and '90s. The justices ruled that the protesters' actions were in some cases criminal, but did not fit the federal definition of extortion. The Washington Post reports the ruling could help advocates of other causes by making it more difficult for the targets of sit-ins, aggressive pickets and other forms of civil disobedience to reach for the heavy hammer of federal law.