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What does Texas v Johnson mean?
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Mar 16, 2017 · Texas v. Johnson Case Brief. Statement of the Facts: Gregory Lee Johnson was convicted for desecrating a flag after publically burning an American flag in political protest at a Republican rally. Johnson then challenged his conviction under the Texas state law in a state court claiming the law violated his First Amendment right to freedom of ...
- Facts
- Reasoning
- Dissent
Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag outside of the convention center where the 1984 Republican National Convention was being held in Dallas, Texas. Johnson burned the flag to protest the policies of President Ronald Reagan. He was arrested and charged with violating a Texas statute that prevented the desecration of a venerated object, inclu...
The majority of the Court, according to Justice William Brennan, agreed with Johnson and held that flag burning constitutes a form of "symbolic speech" that is protected by the First Amendment. The majority noted that freedom of speech protects actions that society may find very offensive, but society's outrage alone is not justification for suppre...
Justice Stevens
Writing for the dissent, Justice Stevens argued that the flag's unique status as a symbol of national unity outweighed "symbolic speech" concerns, and thus, the government could lawfully prohibit flag burning.
In 1984, in front of the Dallas City Hall, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag as a means of protest against Reagan administration policies. Johnson was tried and convicted under a Texas law outlawing flag desecration. He was sentenced to one year in jail and assessed a $2,000 fine.
Brief Fact Summary. A conviction for burning the United States flag based on a Texas law was overturned after the Supreme Court of the United States (Supreme Court) found that the Texas law was unconstitutional. Synopsis of Rule of Law.
Jun 14, 2024 · Texas v. Johnson, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5–4) on June 21, 1989, that the burning of the U.S. flag is a protected form of speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Texas v. Johnson: The First Amendment protections on symbolic speech prevent states from banning desecrations of the American flag.
In Texas v. Johnson, a divided Supreme Court held that burning the flag was protected expression under the First Amendment. The case was decided twenty years after the birth of the “counterculture” movement, fifteen years after the end of the Vietnam War, and in the midst of the Cold War, although that was soon coming to an end.
