Shurtleff v. Boston

Decided May 2, 2022. Stephen Gerald Breyer delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 20-1800 · 596 U.S. 243 (2022) · Cited 30 times

Holding

Because Boston’s flag-raising program did not constitute government speech, Boston’s refusal to let petitioners fly their flag violated the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Pleasant Grove City v. Summum · 555 U.S. 460 (2009)
• Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of University of Virginia · 515 U.S. 819 (1995)
• Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. · 473 U.S. 788 (1985)
• County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union · 492 U.S. 573 (1989)
• Good News Club v. Milford Central School · 533 U.S. 98 (2001)
• Town of Greece v. Galloway · 572 U.S. 565 (2014)
• Van Orden v. Perry · 545 U.S. 677 (2005)
• West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette · 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
• Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence · 468 U.S. 288 (1984)
• Everson v. Board of Ed. of Ewing · 330 U.S. 1 (1947)
• Lynch v. Donnelly · 465 U.S. 668 (1984)
• Lee v. Weisman · 505 U.S. 577 (1992)
• Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District · 508 U.S. 384 (1993)
• Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board v. Pinette · 515 U.S. 753 (1995)
• Torcaso v. Watkins · 367 U.S. 488 (1961)
• Zelman v. Simmons-Harris · 536 U.S. 639 (2002)
• Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Assn. · 544 U.S. 550 (2005)
• McGowan v. Maryland · 366 U.S. 420 (1961)
• Lemon v. Kurtzman · 403 U.S. 602 (1971)
• Garcetti v. Ceballos · 547 U.S. 410 (2006)
• Perry Education Ass'n v. Perry Local Educators' Ass'n · 460 U.S. 37 (1983)
• McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
• Agostini v. Felton · 521 U.S. 203 (1997)
• Walz v. Tax Comm'n of City of New York · 397 U.S. 664 (1970)
• United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
• Rust v. Sullivan · 500 U.S. 173 (1991)
• Wooley v. Maynard · 430 U.S. 705 (1977)
• Giles v. California · 554 U.S. 353 (2008)
• Marsh v. Chambers · 463 U.S. 783 (1983)
• Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee · 412 U.S. 94 (1973)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

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Stephen Gerald Breyer’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2022). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).