Americans United Urges Supreme Court To Protect Religious Freedom By Affirming That Boston Is Not Required To Fly The Christian Flag

Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement today that it will hear Shurtleff v. Boston – a case that could significantly endanger religious freedom and church-state separation:

“The separation of church and state is the constitutional principle that guarantees everyone’s right to religious freedom and to be treated equally under the law. To protect this core American principle and to respect the religious diversity that defines our country, the Supreme Court should not force the City of Boston to fly a Christian flag at city hall. It was bad enough when the Court ignored church-state separation by allowing a towering Christian cross to remain on public land in Bladensburg, Maryland. But to force any American city to erect new religious displays would not only undermine the foundational principle of church-state separation, it would play right into the hands of Christian nationalists who want the government to force everyone to live by their beliefs – threatening everyone’s religious freedom and widening inequality in our communities and country.”

Americans United had filed an amicus brief with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Shurtleff v. Boston.

Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. Learn more at www.au.org.