Flag-burning in America: A look back
President-elect Donald Trump says those who burn the American flag should face punishment.
"Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag," Trump tweeted on Tuesday. "If they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!"
The Supreme Court disagrees.
In 1989, the court ruled that flag burning was protected as free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The 5-4 ruling came after Gregory Johnson, a Texas protester who had been convicted for violating a state law that prohibited the "desecration of a venerated object," appealed to the nation's highest court.
The following year, the Supreme Court again voted in favor to protect flag burning when it ruled that the Flag Protection Act of 1989 — passed by Congress in response to the Johnson decision — was unconstitutional. (Yahoo News)
Here's a look back at Flag-burning in America
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