Flag Burning and Flag Desecration:
Flag burning, or any other physical desecration of the American flag, is an issue that sparks strong emotions. Some mostly Republicans, but also some Democrats regard burning the American flag as a form of blasphemy. It is a sin against "civil religion" in America, not unlike a sin against an established church. Attempts to ban flag desecration by statute have repeatedly failed, so now people seek to ban it by passing a constitutional amendment.
Supreme Court Cases on Flag Burning, Desecration:
- Halter v Nebraska (1907)
- Stromberg v. California (1931)
- Street v. New York (1969)
- Schacht v. United States (1970)
- Smith v Goguen (1974)
- Spence v. Washington (1974)
- Texas v. Johnson (1989)
- United States v. Eichman (1990)
Flag Burning, Desecration and Politics:
- Overview of State Laws on Flag Abuse, Desecration, Burning
- Index of State Laws on Flag Abuse, Desecration, Burning
- Is Flag Burning a Real Problem?
- American Flag Timeline: Flag Desecration, Flag Burning, Pledge of Allegiance
- Playing Politics with the American Flag
- Flag Desecration: The Issue is Not the Issue
- Banning Flag Desecration: It's Just the Beginning
- Flag Fetishism and the Cult of the Flag
Flag Burning, Free Speech, and Free Expression:
- Free Expression as Political Subversion
- Flag Burning vs. Flag Waving, Speech vs. Expression
- If Desecration is a Crime, What is Prohibited?
- Censorship Envy: Breaking the First Amendment Truce
- Copyrighting the Meaning of the Flag
- The American Flag as Symbol But of What?
Problems with Banning Flag Burning, Desecration:

