Date Created:
Place Created: Dallas, Texas
Year Created: 1989
Description: In 1984, during the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, Gregory Lee Johnson participated in a political demonstration organized by the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade to protest the policies of the Reagan administration. The demonstrators marched through the city, chanting slogans and engaging in various forms of protest. At one point, Johnson was handed an American flag, which he later doused with kerosene and set on fire in front of Dallas City Hall. His act of flag burning led to his arrest and subsequent conviction under a Texas statute that prohibited the desecration of venerated objects, including the American flag. Johnson argued that his actions were symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment. His case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which had to determine whether flag burning constituted protected expressive conduct under the First Amendment.
Categories of Documents:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Gregory Lee Johnson’s burning of the American flag was protected speech under the First Amendment. The majority opinion, written by Justice William Brennan, held that Johnson’s actions constituted expressive conduct with a clear political message and that the government could not prohibit speech simply because it was offensive or unpopular. The Court struck down the Texas law criminalizing flag desecration, emphasizing that the government cannot restrict expression based on viewpoint. The ruling reaffirmed the principle that the First Amendment protects even highly controversial or provocative speech.
Source: United States Courts
Citation: "Facts and Case Summary - Texas v. Johnson." United States Courts, www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/educational-activities/first-amendment-activities/texas-v-johnson/facts-and-case-summary-texas-v-johnson. Accessed [Feb 5th, 2025].