OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
1:29 PM – Wednesday, September 10, 2025
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Hamtramck, Michigan, after it approved a policy banning the display of all private flags.
In June 2023, the Hamtramck, Michigan City Council adopted a resolution that restricts what flags can be flown from public property, such as city-flagpoles.
The policy allows only five types of flags: the U.S. flag, the Michigan state flag, and flags that “represent the international character” of the community. On the flip side, it bans all flags representing religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual orientation groups from being flown on city-controlled flagpoles.
Hamtramck was sued for “violating free speech,” but U.S. District Judge David Lawson dismissed the suit on Monday.
“Hamtramck’s refusal to display the Gay Pride flag did not violate the Constitution,” Judge Lawson said, explaining that their action was constitutional because it bans all private flags, and doesn’t single out pride flags.
Roughly 40% of Hamtramck’s residents are foreign-born, and the city council, composed entirely of Muslim members, argued that displaying the Pride flag on public property conflicted with their religious beliefs.
“This Council believes in fairness, neutrality towards our residents, and the rule of law, amongst other things for this community. We passed a resolution recently to do just that, and two of our sworn commissioners outright defied it, and did what they wanted,” City Councilor Khalil Refai said.
Two members of the city’s Human Relations Commission were removed from their positions for flying LGBTQ pride flags on city property the month after the policy went into effect. Hamtramack’s mayor, Amer Ghalib, made remarks in relation to the policy.
“We’re not targeting anybody,” Ghalib said in 2023. “We are trying to close the door for other groups that could be extremist or racist.”
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