When Gregory Lee Johnson burned a flag, he was convicted for flag desecration under Texas law, but the Court of Appeals reversed the conviction. This work examines the case and the attendant controversy over whether protection of the flag conflicts with constitutional guarantees of free speech.
Editors' Preface
vii
Preface
xi
The Early History of the American Flag Desecration Controversy
1
(19)
Flag Desecration Laws and Prosecutions, 1897-1980
20
(24)
The Texas Flag Burning Trials of Gregory Lee Johnson, 1984-1988
44
(37)
The Supreme Court and Texas v. Johnson, Fall 1988-Spring 1989
81
(27)
The Post-Johnson Firestorm, Summer 1989
108
(20)
The Congressional Debate on Responding to Johnson, July-October 1989
128
(44)
Testing the Flag Protection Act in the Courts, October 1989-May 1990
172
(34)
The Eichman Ruling and Its Aftermath, June 1990
206
(20)
From Eichman to the New Millennium, June 1990-Spring 2000
