Home > Great American Court Cases > Texas v. Johnson

Legal Citation: 491 U.S. 397 (1989)

Petitioner
State of Texas

Respondent
Gregory Lee Johnson

Petitioner's Claim
That the Texas statute against "desecration of venerated objects," in this instance burning an American flag, did not violate Gregory Lee Johnson's constitutional rights.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Kathi Alyce Drew

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
William M. Kunstler

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr. (writing for the Court), Anthony M. Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, Antonin Scalia

Justices Dissenting
Sandra Day O'Connor, William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
21 June 1989

Decision
The Texas statute was declared unconstitutional.

Significance
No...