Which of the following correctly explains how the Supreme Court’s decisions in Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman contributed to the right of freedom of speech?(1 point)
Responses
Both decisions involved selective incorporation requiring states to protect freedom of speech.
Both decisions involved selective incorporation requiring states to protect freedom of speech.
Both decisions protected the symbolic speech of burning a U.S. flag in protest.
Both decisions protected the symbolic speech of burning a U.S. flag in protest.
Both decisions protected participants in the civil rights movement from being punished for their civil disobedience.
Both decisions protected participants in the civil rights movement from being punished for their civil disobedience.
Both cases ruled that flag burning could be outlawed in places it was considered offensive.
The correct answer is: Both decisions protected the symbolic speech of burning a U.S. flag in protest.
The correct answer is: Both decisions protected the symbolic speech of burning a U.S. flag in protest.
To arrive at this answer, it is important to understand the background of the cases.
In Texas v. Johnson (1989) and United States v. Eichman (1990), the Supreme Court dealt with the issue of flag desecration as a form of political expression protected by the First Amendment. Gregory Lee Johnson and Shawn Eichman, respectively, were charged with flag desecration for burning the U.S. flag as a form of protest.
In Texas v. Johnson, the Court ruled that Johnson's flag burning was a protected form of symbolic speech under the First Amendment. They stated that the act of burning the flag was an expressive act aimed at conveying a particular message, and therefore, it was protected by the freedom of speech.
In United States v. Eichman, the Court reinforced its decision in Texas v. Johnson. The case involved the Flag Protection Act, a federal statute that criminalized flag desecration. The Court declared the Flag Protection Act unconstitutional, asserting that it violated the First Amendment. They emphasized that flag burning, as a form of symbolic speech, was protected expression.
Therefore, both decisions (Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman) contributed to the right of freedom of speech by protecting the symbolic speech of burning a U.S. flag in protest.