Trump mandates flag burners face prosecution in one of biggest challenges to the First Amendment in decades
Trump wants people who burn the flag to go to prison
- President Donald Trump is directing federal agencies to "vigorously prosecute" individuals who burn or desecrate the American flag, despite existing Supreme Court precedent.
- The order seeks to overturn the 1989 Texas v Johnson Supreme Court ruling, which established flag burning as protected free speech under the First Amendment.
- Trump stated that the penalty for flag burning would be one year in jail, claiming it incites riots and is a statement of contempt against the nation.
- The directive also instructs the Attorney General to refer flag desecration cases to state or local prosecutors and for the Secretary of State to deny immigration benefits to foreign nationals involved.
- Legal experts affirm that the President cannot unilaterally revise the First Amendment, reiterating that flag burning remains a protected expressive activity, even if deemed offensive by many.