Moore to the Point: SCOTUS Issues 9-0 Decision Regarding Free Speech

Susie Moore, Deputy Managing Editor for RedState

On Monday, the Supreme Court handed down a 9-0 decision authored by Justice Stephen Breyer, who is set to retire at the end of the term. The case, styled Shurtleff, et al. v. City of Boston, et al., involved the question of whether the City of Boston violated the First Amendment when it refused to fly the flag of a Christian group, though it did fly flags from other outside groups.

A little background: Three flagpoles stand in the plaza outside Boston’s City Hall. The American flag and the flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts grace two of the three flagpoles; the City’s flag usually flies from the third. However, over the years, the City has allowed outside groups to hold ceremonies on the plaza and fly a flag of their choosing from the third pole in connection with those ceremonies.