9-0 | Supreme Court rules Boston discriminated against Christian man

(05 2022) A unanimous Supreme Court ruled 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 outside City Hall even though they’ve allowed other private groups to fly their flags.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court that the city discriminated against the activist, Harold Shurtleff, because of his “religious viewpoint,” even though it had routinely approved applications for the use of one of the three flagpoles outside City Hall that fly the U.S., Massachusetts and Boston flags. The city has said that in the event of a loss at the Supreme Court it probably will change its policy to take more control of what flags can fly.

The case is Shurtleff v. Boston, 20-1800.