It had been nearly three years since Robert Rudnick and Luke Otterstad had stood atop the Ferry Street bridge in Anoka during the afternoon rush hour holding large, graphic anti-abortion signs in view of passing motorists.

Once again on Monday, they got the attention of local authorities who, in response to a citizen complaint, arrived soon after they began their three-hour demonstration and asked them to take the protest elsewhere.

But this time, rather than an overnight stay in jail, Rudnick and Otterstad got to hold their ground, thanks to a recent Minnesota Supreme Court ruling.

Last month, the court overturned the pair's 2004 conviction for violating the city of Anoka's sign ordinance and causing a public nuisance.

The conviction was overturned on the grounds that it had not been proven that their signs, including one with a grisly photo of an aborted fetus, had endangered public safety.

Anoka police and county sheriff's officials who came to Monday's protest were quickly made aware of the ruling, so they let Rudnick, Otterstad and two companions remain, although authorities did monitor the demonstration to make sure it didn't cause any major distractions, Anoka Police Chief Ed Willberg said. The protesters' signs were displayed to drivers traveling west on Hwy. 10.

"This is a way the little guy can do an end-run around the media," said Rudnick, a Twin Cities native who met Otterstad through a small California church. "We can take [our message] to an enormous number of people this way for a very reasonable amount of money," he said as he pushed his sign up against the bridge's fence.

Attached to 4- by 8-foot pieces of insulation, Rudnick's sign consisted of a 1987 photo of an aborted fetus.

His companions' signs featured a Christian flag and biblical passages.

It was difficult to gauge the reactions of motorists as they drove past the signs. Occasionally a driver, after exiting the highway, would yell catcalls at the protesters, including one who shouted, "Get a job!"

Tom Ford • 612-673-4921 • tford@startribune.com