Pennsylvania Police Officers Can Display ‘Thin Blue Line’ Flag

A Pennsylvania town’s ban on the display of the “Thin Blue Line” flag by on-duty, uniformed officers violates the First Amendment, the Third Circuit held Tuesday.

Springfield Township, which sits northwest of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, failed to show that displaying the flag—a black-and-white American flag featuring one blue horizontal strip intended to honor police—would further erode public confidence in law enforcement, Judge Paul B. Matey of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit wrote.

The ruling affirms a district court’s injunction on the town’s ban prohibiting officers from displaying the flag, which has been incorporated into the ...