A federal judge has dismissed a case by current and former Burleson High School students who were forbidden from carrying purses bearing the Confederate battle flag on campus.

The ruling released Tuesday by Judge David C. Godbey ends the more than year-long lawsuit about the place of Confederate symbols in public life. School district officials said the symbols could be disruptive because of the racial overtones. The defendants and the Southern Legal Resource Center, which represented them, said the school’s decision violated their rights of free express, due process, equal protection and right to express their heritage.

Ashley Thomas and Aubrie McAllum, both juniors at the time, were told by the Burleson High principal in January 2006 that they couldn’t bring the Confederate purses to school. In February 2007, the Southern Legal Resource Center, which has fought similar bans throughout the country, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the girls. Ms. Thomas’ younger sister, then a sophomore at Burleson High, was later added to the lawsuit.