A federal judge has ruled in favor of keeping the traditional route for the 2016 St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston.
On Tuesday, a judge issued a temporary restraining order against the city of Boston and ordered the city to give the permit for the traditional route.
The judge said his decision was based on protecting First Amendment rights, not public safety.
Veterans applied for a permit for the parade in April 2015. The city has now been ordered to approve that permit.
In a statement, Mayor Marty Walsh said:
"While I believe that a shorter route would have been in the best interest of public safety, I respect the judge’s decision and look forward to working with the parade organizers.
More hearings will decide what will happen in future parades.
In the beginning of March, the city of Boston announced a plan to shorten the parade route length from 3.2 miles to a little over a mile.
On Monday, organizers of the parade filed a lawsuit to restore the parade to its traditional length.
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