Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade Will Keep Its Route -- Judge's Orders

Boston, MA - Boston's long-running St. Patrick's Day parade gets to keep its original route as a matter of First Amendment rights, a judge ruled over city objections Tuesday.

The City of Boston shortened the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston-organized annual parade route last year for the first time in almost two decades, the result of heavy snow. But when the city tried to limit it again this year, the veteran council went to court.

During a Tuesday hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns said the case “does fall in a matter of constitutional protection," according to the Boston Globe. The city might have a case for limiting alcohol sales near the parade route, but not the length of the route itself, Stearns said.

Southie and beyond celebrated the news on Facebook, where most saw the judge's ruling as a First Amendment victory and others as a poke in the Walsh administration's eye.

>> Image courtesy Adam Pieniazek via Flickr/Creative Commons