To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE


SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

Supreme Court to Rule on Line between Private and Government Speech in Christian Flag Case

Caitlin Burke : Jan 19, 2022  CBN News

"This case is so much bigger than a flag. It really involves whether the government can open a forum for a lot of different voices and then shut the door for Christian viewpoints." -Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.

[CBN News] Outside of Boston City Hall stand three flag poles. One of them flies the US flag, another, the flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the third flagpole is intended to celebrate other countries, cultures, and causes. (Image: Pixabay)

Over a 12-year period, the city of Boston received nearly 300 applications for that third flagpole. They approved all of them, except one.

"These include flags of individuals, say for example, Metro Credit Union, gay pride, Boston Pride, other causes, in addition to that, they also had individuals who would raise flags of their countries," said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.

The sole rejection came in 2017 when an organization called Camp Constitution applied to raise a "Christian" flag and hold a one-hour ceremony in honor of Constitution Day.

"What they said was, while this was the first flag of a religious nature, they said that it would have been allowed to fly had it not been called 'Christian.' So the same flag had no problem to the city as long as you didn't call it something religious," Staver told CBN News.

Camp Constitution Director, Hal Shurtleff, sued the city, and now his case will be heard by the Supreme Court.

"This case is so much bigger than a flag. It really involves whether the government can open a forum for a lot of different voices and then shut the door for Christian viewpoints," Staver, the camp's counsel, explained.

Despite the fact that the city itself has referred to the flagpole as a "public forum," its attorneys are expected to argue this is a case of government speech. Meaning, the flagpole speaks for the city of Boston.

"That defies logic because Boston allows two competing Chinese organizations or individual groups to put opposite flags, both of the Chinese community, one pro-China, one anti-China, the other one pro-communism, the other one anti-communism," said Staver.

"Boston cannot be pro-China one week, anti-China the next, pro-communism one week, anti-communism the next," he added. "That's classic free speech in a public forum, that's not the speech of Boston."

And the case has attracted some unlikely allies.

The ACLU, a group normally against religious displays on government property, filed a brief supporting Camp Constitution. The Biden administration also supports their side.

Staver believes this case will have significant implications on private free speech. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here







SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News

Trump's Economic and Foreign Policies Excite Michigan Crowd: What We Saw at His Detroit Rally

Signs of a Dictator? Biden Bans Travel to Conferences Pushing Talking Points against Dems' Agenda

Doctor Whose Censorship Case Is at the Supreme Court: 'We Had to Speak Up'

New 'Air Vax' Delivers mRNA Right to Your Lungs, Raising Serious Bioethical Concerns

Exposed: Hunter Biden Claimed He Didn't Receive 'One Cent' from Chinese Associate, Wire Transfers Show He Did

Shocking Evidence: FBI Planned the January 6 Operation, Planted Documents Days Earlier That Were Later Used against Innocent Americans

Trump Arrives for Start of 'Scam, Sham' Trial Brought by Leftist AG James

Gavin Newsom Picks Abortion Activist Laphonza Butler to Fill Diane Feinstein's Senate Seat

Top Psychiatrist Says 'Go Back to Church' as Loneliness Now a Major US Health Threat

1 Million March 4 Children Organizer: Canadians from All Walks of Life Are United against the LGBT Agenda

Insidious Personified: Gavin Newsom Launches Transgender Inquisition against Non-'Affirming' Parents While Trying to Hide It

Ohio Pastors Stress the Benefits of Paper Ballots over Vulnerable Dominion Voting Machines

GAME CHANGER! 11 Lawmakers Sue MI Secretary of State and MI Director of Elections in Fed Court for Violating Constitution to Change Election Laws

Day 1 of Formal Biden Impeachment Inquiry: 7 Big Takeaways

Elon Musk Livestreams Border to Give People Firsthand Account of Migrant Crisis: 'This Is Real Time, Unfiltered'

Dianne Feinstein Dead at 90. Here's What Happens Next

CBN Exclusive: Evangelist Torben Sondergaard Legally Sought Asylum in USA, But Later Was Imprisoned and Deported by Biden Administration

CHAOS IN CANADA: Dad Tells Harrowing Story of Facing PRISON for 'Misgendering' His Daughter

New Study: Lockdowns Had Zero to Negative Impact on Excess Deaths

Trump to Auto Workers: Biden Electric Vehicle Mandates Will 'Spell the Death of the US Auto Industry'



Search the Articles Archives

Keyword:  
Author:  
Words Posted On:  
Day Month Year



BCN Plus

Follow BCN on Twitter
Are You Praying for Our Government Leaders?
BCN Staff

Steve Shultz
Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner


Aimee Herd
Aimee Herd, Editor


BCN Plus
Are You Praying for President Trump?
 
 

All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.


Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved


Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.

editor@breakingchristiannews.com