Trump signs executive order to prosecute flag desecration

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the Justice Department and other federal agencies to pursue prosecutions and other penalties in cases involving the burning or desecration of the American flag, a move that the White House framed as restoring respect for a national symbol but that civil liberties lawyers say clashes with long‑standing First Amendment precedent.

The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to "vigorously prosecute" acts of flag desecration that accompany or amount to other crimes, to refer incidents that may violate state or local laws to local authorities, and to pursue litigation to clarify what exceptions to the First Amendment might apply. The White House fact sheet also directs federal officials to consider revoking visas, residency permits or naturalization benefits for foreign nationals found to have engaged in flag desecration. Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump declared, "If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail," a statement not reflected in the text of the order itself.

The executive action acknowledges the Supreme Court's 1989 decision in Texas v. Johnson and its 1990 follow‑up, United States v. Eichman,...