WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court docket dominated Monday that Boston violated the free speech rights of a conservative activist when it refused his request to fly a Christian flag on a flagpole exterior Metropolis Corridor.
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court docket that town discriminated towards the activist, Harold Shurtleff, due to his “spiritual viewpoint,” though it had routinely accepted functions for using one of many three flagpoles exterior Metropolis Corridor that fly the U.S., Massachusetts and Boston flags.
Sometimes, town takes down its personal pennant and quickly hoists one other flag.
Shurtleff and his Camp Structure needed to fly a white banner with a pink cross on a blue background within the higher left nook, known as the Christian flag.
Breyer mentioned the case hinged on whether or not the flag-flying is an act of the federal government, through which case Boston can do no matter it desires, or personal events like Shurtleff.
Breyer wrote that “town’s lack of significant involvement within the number of flags or the crafting of their messages leads us to categorise the flag raisings as personal, not authorities, speech—although nothing prevents Boston from altering its insurance policies going ahead.”
The town has mentioned that within the occasion of a loss on the Supreme Court docket it most likely will change its coverage to take extra management of what flags can fly.
The case is Shurtleff v. Boston, 20-1800.
