Flag Burning and Free Speech

Download or read book Flag Burning and Free Speech written by Robert Justin Goldstein and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag as part of a political protest, he was convicted for flag desecration under Texas law. But the Supreme Court, by a contentious 5 to margin, overturned that conviction, claiming that Johnson's action constituted symbolic -- and thus protected -- speech. Heated debate continues to swirl around that controversial decision, both hailed as a victory for free speech advocates and reviled as an abomination that erodes the patriotic foundations of American democracy. Such passionate yet contradictory views are at the heart of this landmark case. Book jacket.