A history of the ACLU defending the Confederate flag, the tea party, the KKK and Rush Limbaugh

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Thu Jul 2, 2015, 08:23 AM - Edit history (4)

I should point out that the Sons of Confederate Veterans is not a "Confederate Veterans group." The War ended 150 years ago, so even Confederate drummer boys would now have to be at least 160 years old.

A history of the ACLU defending the Confederate flag, the tea party, the KKK and Rush Limbaugh

The Fix
By Amber Philips June 19, 2015

Thursday's Supreme Court case on Confederate flag license plates has created some bizarre allies. ... The Supreme Court released a decision ruling against a Confederate veterans group that wanted the state of Texas to approve a specialty license plate with the Confederate flag. The state denied the plate, and the veterans group sued Texas for violating its free speech.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices said the license plate was government property and therefore not subject to free speech protections.

(The Supreme Court just dealt the Confederate flag a blow)

The Confederate Veterans group wasn't happy about the way the case turned out. Neither was the American Civil Liberties Union. Its legal director, Steven R. Shapiro, issued a stern statement in response to the decision:

"By allowing states to censor private speech they deem offensive, today's decision is a step backwards for the First Amendment."

The ACLU siding with a Confederate veterans group might have raised some eyebrows in political circles. The nonpartisan nonprofit tends to fall to the left of the political spectrum on most issues.

But when it comes to free speech, the ACLU has a long history of defending people and groups that share very few of its political values. Here are some prominent right-wing groups and people they've defended:

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