Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative filed an amicus brief this week in Shurtleff v. Boston , a case that asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that government officials may not exclude religious expression from the public square. In Boston, a city program allows private groups and citizens to fly their own flag for a day on a flagpole outside city hall to “foster diversity and strengthen connections among Boston’s many communities.” The flagpole has been used on numerous occasions to fly the flags of other countries, private associations and foundations, and movements such as Boston Pride. In 2017, Harold Shurtleff requested permission to hold a Constitution Day event in Boston City Hall’s public square. His organization, Camp Constitution, has a mission “to enhance understanding of the country’s Judeo-Christian heritage, the American heritage of courage and ingenuity, the genius of the United States Constitution, and free enterprise.” In his request to city officials, Shurtleff asked to fly a Christian flag as part of the event. Citing the Establishment Clause, city officials denied Shurtleff’s request to fly the Christian flag. The city responded further by issuing its first formal guidelines for the flagpole: “At no time will the […]
