WASHINGTON (AP) — People who invoke a much-used civil rights law and sue in federal court over local governmental land-use regulations can get a jury trial — not just one before a judge, the Supreme Court ruled today as it upheld a $1.45 million award against the city of Monterey, Calif.

The justices, by a 5-4 vote, upheld the legal victory of a former owner of 37 oceanfront acres in a case that has been watched closely by property-rights advocates nationwide.