Texas vs. Johnson
***************************************************
Summary
Gregory Lee Johnson participated in a protest in which he burned an American flag. Witness said that they were very offended and he was charged with vandalizing respected objects. There were many issues with the 1st Amendment, which Johnson used as his argument in court.
The man on the right is Gregory Lee Johnson, The man accused of burning the flag.
Johnson getting arrested for the flag burning at the 1984 Republican National Convention.
Position of Each Side:
Texas vs. Johnson
Texas- The state of Texas felt that this was wrong and that the 1st Amendment protected mostly freedom of speech and not necessarily a degrading act towards our country.
Argued: March 21, 1989; Decided: June 21, 1989
Court's Decision and Significance
The case was decided on June 21, 1989 and Johnson won. They ruled that the 1st Amendment did protect him no matter how degrading and offensive the acts were towards our country. I feel that the significance was it showed the 1st Amendment protects more than just the freedom of speech.