Texas v. Johnson

In 1984 Gregory Lee Johnson participated in a protest during the Republican National Convention, which took place in Dallas, Texas. During this protest Johnson set fire to the American flag at the convention to protest capitalism and the way the government was being run. As soon as he lit the American flag on fire, he was immediately arrested by the Dallas Police Department on the grounds that he violated a state law. Johnson was fined a total on $2,000 and was sentenced to one year of imprisonment for burning the American flag. Johnson appealed his case to the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas. The court overturned the decision on the lower court on the grounds that Johnson’s action was protected under the First Amendment. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court by the State of Texas. Johnson’s case was heard on the 21^st March 1989. Johnson believed that the Dallas Police Department had violated his 1^st Amendment rights. As Johnson is an American citizen, the 1^st Amendment preserves and protects the right of speech and expression. Texas v. Johnson was decided on the 21^st June 1989 by the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that Johnson’s civil liberties and constitutional liberties were in fact violated. The court ruled that Johnson’s expression of burning the flag was protected according to the United States Constitution.