The issue originated when Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag in front of the Dallas City Hall, as a means of protest against the government's administration policies. Afterward, Johnson was tried and convicted under a Texas law outlawing flag burning that might arouse anger in others. But the case went to the Supreme Court.
In the US Supreme court, most justices ruled in favor of Johnson. William Brennan's majority opinion was that burning a flag was a form of free expression or symbolic speech protected under the First Amendment and that just because certain ideas or forms of expressions were offensive to some, they did not have to be outlawed.
