Justice Dept. Drops Flag Burning Charges Against Veteran

0:00From Durham, this is your March 14th update. The Justice Department is dropping charges against the 55-year-old Army veteran from North Carolina, who burned an American flag near the White House last year. J. Kerry said fire to the flag in Lafayette Park on August 25th to protest an executive order from then-president Donald Trump aimed at, cracking down on flag burning. That same day, Trump signed the order directing federal prosecutors to pursue cases where flag burning might incite violence or qualify as fighting, words. Kerry, who served in the Army from 1989 to 2012 with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, faced two misdemeanor counts. For starting a fire in a restricted area and damaging park resources, Kerry pleaded not guilty back in September and called his act to stand for First Amendment rights. In a statement, he said no administration can override the Constitution and he hopes this helps others who speak out. The Supreme Court has ruled flag burning as protective political expression for decades.

1:02Kerry's lawyer said the prosecution was unwarranted from the start. Meanwhile, the dismissal filing offers no explanation and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, DC, has not commented. This episode is supported by our sponsor, C Details in the Description. Your favorite podcasts, music, or sleep sounds coming from your pillow. No earbuds, no distractions, just listen and relax. S-O-L-I-S-O-L-P-L-O dot com.