Today is Sunday, June 21st, 2020.

On this day in 1989, the United States Supreme Court ruled

that flag burning is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Today we're covering the controversial Supreme Court ruling which established that

burning an American flag is an act of free speech.

Let's go back to the halls of American justice midday on June 21st, 1989.

The nine justices were lined up behind the massive mahogany desk that served as their bench.

Today they were hearing closing arguments on the case of Texas versus Johnson.

This particular case had a long journey to reach the Supreme Court.

In fact, the alleged crime had taken place five years previously,

and to understand the crime in question,

the justices had to examine the events of a hot August day

in 1984.

The 1984 Republican National Convention was held in Dallas, Texas.

The Republican Party was championed by Ronald Reagan, who faced little competition in the upcoming election.

However, that fact spawned significant protests against the perceived

Republican dominance of the election.

That morning, Gregory Johnson donned a pair of of the So he grabbed a beaten red ball cap, neckerchief and sunglasses too.

Finally ready, he headed out the door to the downtown protests.

The protest was called the Corporate War Chest Tour, the wave of demonstrators swept through the downtown shopping district,

startling shoppers with splattered paint and signs,

...