From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court: Anatomy of a Free Speech Case: The Incredible Inside Story Behind the Theft of the St. Patrick's

In early 1992, the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston (GLIB) petitioned to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, which was sponsored by the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston. When their petition was rejected, a member of GLIB filed a lawsuit claiming the violation of his rights under the First Amendment. Three days before the parade, a Massachusetts Superior Court Judge ruled that GLIB should be allowed to march. That decision was subsequently upheld on appeal and not overturned until the time of the 1995 parade, when a Federal District judge ruled that the veterans group could bar members of GLIB. On June 19, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ""upheld the right of private parade organizers around the U.S. to define their own speech in their own parades."" Connolly, a Boston lawyer, and Walkowski (The Will of God) have written an extremely intricate and legalistic book that will be of interest mostly to the legal community. Photos. (Aug.)