Hurley v. Irish-American Gay Group of Boston

Petitioner

John J. Hurley and South Boston Allied War Veterans Council

Respondent

Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, et al.

Petitioner's Claim

That First Amendment Freedom of Speech protection extends to a private organizer's choice of which groups can participate in Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade based on the content of their intended messages.

Chief Lawyers for Petitioner

Chester Darling and Dwight G. Duncan

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

John Ward

Justices for the Court

Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony M. Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor, William H. Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, David H. Souter (writing for the Court), John Paul Stevens, Clarence Thomas

Justices Dissenting

None

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

19 June 1995

Decision

Upheld the parade organizer's claim and overturned two lower courts' decisions that banned the organizer's practice of excluding groups from parades due to the messages they express.

Related Cases

• Edwards v. South Carolina, 372 U.S. 229 (1963).
• Gregory v. City of Chicago, 394 U.S. 111 (1969).
• Spence v. Washington, 418 U.S. 405 (1974).
• Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. FCC., 520 U.S. 180 (1997).