MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mississippi Attorney is suing Governor Phil Bryant over the state flag.
Carlos Moore says the flag, which shows the Confederate battle symbol, is a form of government hate speech.
WREG discovered that if a federal judge approves the request for a temporary restraining order against the state flag, it will immediately come down from government buildings during the trial to decide its permanent fate.
Moore filed the lawsuit to have the flag taken down from every government building and he hopes a federal judge will do what the legislature and governor will not.
“We feel that the courts are our only viable option at this point. As you will recall, there hasn’t been any progress in the area of civil rights in the state of Mississippi without federal intervention,” Moore said over the phone.
Moore believes last year’s Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage now provides case law to take the flag down with a lawsuit.
He says Federal Judge Carlton Reeves was appointed by President Obama and will hear the case.
Brandon Blake believes his state’s flag reflects freedom of speech.
“That happened a couple of hundred years ago and right now I think if people want to fly it privately on their property. I see no problem with that.”
Frank Powers is indifferent to the flag, but has concerns about the tax payer money that will be spent in court over the flag battle.
It could go all the way to the Supreme Court, but powers doesn’t think so.
“I think the governor will back down,” he said.
