In part because of the proximity in time of the Supreme Court 's decision with the Charleston church shooting in 2015 , the decision was discussed in the media in relation to a controversy which arose in response to the shooting . The massacre was directed at nine African American churchgoers at one of the oldest black churches in the United States . One of the most famous victims , Clementa C. Pinckney , was a member of the South Carolina Senate at the time ; the alleged killer , Dylann Roof , was discovered to have been depicted in images with Confederate flags on his infamous website , including one with a Confederate flag on his license plate . At the time of the shooting , the Confederate battle flag flew over the South Carolina State House
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans