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Research Paper
Flag burning
Dion Hinton
Constitutional Law
RESEARCH PAPER
Flag burning is one of the most symbolic actions that people believe should not be
constitutional. People took it so serious that in 1989, there was a Supreme Court case for it. Outside of
the Republican National Convention that was being held in Texas, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an
American flag. He was protesting the policies that President Ronald Reagan and some of the Dallas
based corporations. Johnson was arrested am charged with violating a Texas statue that prevented the
desecration of a respected object. He was tried by a Texas court and was convicted, but he put in an
appeal that argued his actions were protected by the First Amendment. Supreme Court picked up his
case and that’s when the issue of whether burning the flag was considered “symbolic speech.” The court
had decided in a five to four decision that decided Johnson’s burning of a flag is protected under the
First Amendment.
After the case GOP tried to overturn it with proposing the first Flag Protection amendment but
