Boston appears headed for Supreme Court loss over refusal to fly a Christian flag

The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed prepared to rule that the city of Boston was wrong when it refused to let an organization fly a Christian flag in front of city hall.

The justices heard about 90 minutes of oral argument in a case that invited the court to decide whether the flagpole conveyed a government message or whether it was a forum open to all comers.

Boston said the flagpole was an expression of the city's views, and therefore flying the Christian flag would amount to an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. "Governments speak from government-owned flagpoles," said Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, the city's lawyer.

But Boston's legal position was opposed by the Biden administration, which said the city could not censor a religious message in what amounts to a kind of public forum.