Boston pays out $2.1M to settle Christian flag legal case

BOSTON (AP) — Town of Boston has agreed to pay greater than $2.1 million to the Christian authorized group that backed a court docket problem after the town refused to fly a Christian flag exterior Metropolis Corridor, a case that made all of it the best way to the U.S. Supreme Courtroom.

The settlement introduced Tuesday by Liberty Counsel covers attorneys’ charges and different prices related to the authorized battle that began in 2017 when metropolis resident Hal Shurtleff and his Camp Structure group requested to hoist the flag on one in all three poles on Metropolis Corridor Plaza to mark Structure Day.

“We’re happy that after 5 years of litigation and a unanimous victory on the U.S. Supreme Courtroom, we joined with Hal Shurtleff to lastly let freedom fly in Boston, the Cradle of Liberty,” Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver mentioned in an announcement.

The U.S., state and metropolis flags often fly exterior the constructing, however the metropolis flag is typically taken down and quickly changed with one other.

Between 2005 and 2017, the town permitted 284 consecutive functions from personal organizations to fly flags, with no denials, earlier than it rejected Shurtleff’s proposal, Liberty Counsel mentioned.

The Supreme Courtroom unanimously dominated in Could that the town violated the free speech rights of Shurtleff due to his “non secular viewpoint.”

The Christian flag — which is white, with a purple cross on a blue background within the higher left nook — lastly flew for a pair hours exterior Metropolis Corridor on Aug. 3 as activists cheered and sang songs of reward.

Town has since handed an ordinance that clarifies the principles for flag raisings.

Liberty Counsel was entitled to attorneys’ charges because the prevailing get together within the case, the town mentioned in an announcement.

Town’s Legislation Division decided $2.125 million to be cheap primarily based on billing statements offered by Liberty Counsel and thru their very own evaluation, the assertion mentioned.

“Settlement at the moment additionally permits the Metropolis to keep away from the prices and uncertainty related to additional litigation on this case,” the town assertion mentioned.

The case has established precedent, Liberty Counsel’s Staver mentioned, “together with the overturning of the 1971 ‘Lemon Take a look at,’ which Justice (Antonin) Scalia as soon as described as a ‘ghoul in a late night time horror film.’ The case of Shurtleff v. Metropolis of Boston lastly buried this ghoul that haunted the First Modification for 51 years.”