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This Saturday marks the 30-year anniversary of a motion that ignited a battle all the way to the nation鈥檚 highest court over whether gay Irish-Americans could march in South Boston鈥檚 St. Patrick鈥檚 Day parade.

The Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston sued for the right to march in the parade 鈥� which was sponsored by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council 鈥� while carrying a banner with its name on it. The group won several victories in Massachusetts courts before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the rulings in 1995.

Justice David Souter delivered the court鈥檚 opinion in Hurley v. the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, writing: 鈥淭he issue in this case is whether Massachusetts may require private citizens who organize a parade to include among the marchers a group imparting a message the organizers do not wish to convey. We hold that such a mandate violates the First Amendment.鈥�

The case was one of several involving parades 鈥� with core issues ranging from permitting to protected speech 鈥� in which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over the years.