A city’s program to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and censor the Christian flag is ending.

According to Liberty Counsel, the city of Jersey City, New Jersey, had agreed that it will not censor the Christian flag from a ceremonial flag-raising to mark an annual parade.

That’s based on the Supreme Court ruling in Shurtfell v. Boston, a case also won by Liberty Counsel which established that a city cannot remove a Christian flag from a routine procedure allowing for the raising of special interest banners on city facilities.

“Now, the Jersey City officials have agreed to let organizations raise the Christian flag on September 8, 2026, for their annual Children of Faith Parade,” the legal team confirmed.

City officials earlier had refused that permission.

Then Liberty Counsel dispatched a demand letter.

The city historically since 1979, had allowed the ceremonial raising of the Christian flag at city hall for the annual event.

Then in 2025, they refused

They claimed the earlier permissions were “administrative error.”

In the previous case used by the Supreme Court to establish precedent, Boston officials had refused to allow the use of city flagpoles used by multitudes, an open forum, to be used by Christians who wanted to raise their banner.

The ruling said cities that open their flagpoles to the public cannot selectively exclude religious viewpoints when they allow other private groups to speak.

Liberty Counsel noted that Jersey City’s flag program had previously permitted other ideological and religious flags, including for the “Jersey City LGBTQ+ Pride Festival;” the “Independence Day of Pakistan Flag Raising Ceremony” for the Muslim Council North America and Muslim Federation of New Jersey; and the “3rd Annual Palestine Flag Raising Ceremony,” among others.

Liberty Counsel chief Mat Staver explained, “We commend Jersey City officials for making the right decision to grant the Christian flag-raising permit for the Children of Faith Parade. Jersey City had stated that raising the Christian flag in their public forum would violate the Establishment Clause, but it does not. The opposite is true. Denying raising the Christian flag in a public forum is the actual First Amendment violation. The clear message from the U.S. Supreme Court is that government cannot favor one viewpoint and censor another in a public forum.”

WorldNetDaily reported earlier in 2026 that the dispute had developed over Jersey City’s agenda, which was the same as the one in Boston.

“In Liberty Counsel’s unanimous 2022 victory in Shurtleff v. City of Boston, a case where Boston officials denied raising the Christian flag in an open forum, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities that open their flagpoles to the public cannot selectively exclude religious viewpoints when they allow other private groups to speak,” Liberty Counsel explained.

Liberty Counsel also noted that Boston ended up paying $2.1 million in attorney’s fees and costs to Liberty Counsel for fighting the request to fly the Christian flag on a city flagpole there.

‘First Amendment liberties’: City censors Christian flag, gets reminded about Supreme Court ruling

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.