Court says city can ban Confederate flag in veterans parade

A federal appeals court says a Georgia city did not violate the constitutional rights of a Sons of Confederate Veterans group when it banned the Confederate battle flag from its annual parade honoring veterans of American wars.

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court says a Georgia city did not violate the constitutional rights of a Sons of Confederate Veterans group when it banned the Confederate battle flag from its annual parade honoring veterans of American wars. Richard Leake and Michael Dean sued the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta in 2019 after city officials said the Sons of Confederate Veterans could participate in the Old Soldiers Day Parade but not display the battle flag. The federal lawsuit accused the city of violating the group’s constitutional right to free speech. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a lower court’s ruling favoring the city.