From [HERE] WASHINGTON — Washington police routinely arrested people who talked back to them, improperly charging citizens with disorderly conduct, a lawsuit in federal court contends.

The lawsuit revolves around the 2005 arrest of a woman who cursed at police outside a 7-Eleven. But the case, which continues Monday for the second week before a jury, goes beyond one person to what lawyers say were broader problems. The city's American Civil Liberties Union chapter is involved in the case, and ACLU legal director Arthur Spitzer says his group hopes to use a victory in case to ensure police are more careful about future disorderly conduct arrests.

"We think it's happening still today, and we're concerned," Spitzer said, explaining that just cursing at an officer isn't grounds for arrest and officers are supposed to have a thick skin.