texas vs johnson Essay - 687 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Texas vs. Johnson A very controversial court case in American history was Texas vs. Johnson (1984). In 1984, a man named Gregory Lee Johnson followed a group of anti – Reagan protesters to oppose the American exploitation of third world countries. This act of rebellion resulted in the burning of the American flag. Out of a total of approximately one hundred demonstrators who were involved in this ordeal, Johnson was solely charged with a crime. Johnson was arrested under Texas law, which made the burning of the United States or Texas flags crimes. Johnson was convicted and sentenced to one year in jail and fined two thousand dollars for his crime in restitution. Texas reasoned that the police were preventing†¦show more content†¦This case then was put up to the national level and sent to the United States Supreme Court. There was great public attention because of media. Many groups involved themselves in either trying to support that Texas violated Johnsons first amendment right of fre edom of expression, or tried to get a new amendment passed to the constitution stopping the burning of the United States’ flag. The final decision by the Supreme Court on June 21, 1989 was by a 5 – 4 vote, that the Texas court of criminal appeals violated Johnsons first amendment rights by prosecuting him under its law for burning a flag as a means of a peaceful political demonstration. The Supreme Court upheld this ruling, stating the flag burning was quot;expressive conductquot; because it was an attempt to quot;convey a particularized message.quot; This ruling invalidated flag protection laws in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The decision of the United States Supreme Court was an unconstitutional one in my opinion. Johnson burning the flag as a way of expression should still be considered to be a rebelliousShow MoreRelatedThe Flag Of The United States903 Words   |  4 Pageslaws only lasted until 1989, because  in 1989, in the Texas v Johnson case,  the United States Supreme Court recognized that flag desecration as a form of symbolic political speech that is constitutionally protected by First Amendment and agreed that the â€Å"government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable†( ). In 1984, during the Republican National Convention in Dallas Texas, a group of protesters gathered to stage a politicalRead MoreThe Flag Resolution Act Of The United States1623 Words   |  7 Pagescommit the ultimate sacrifice. Opposition for the proposed amendment included that the government would infringe on their given rights by the government in the preamble and the 1st amendment. 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