A federal appeals court ruled that a Missouri man was protected by the First Amendment in cutting up an American flag and discarding the remnants in the street to protest his inability to get a job. (Jurist, May 31, 2014, by G. Redd)
The man sued after he was arrested and spent eight hours in jail. The appeals court upheld a federal judge ruling in favor of the man that granted him $7,000 in damages and $61,890 in attorney fees. (Reuters, May 30, 2014, by Kevin Murphy)
The ruling that the Missouri statute against flag desecration violated the First Amendment also established that the arresting officer was not immune from liability for relying on an arrest warrant. (Volokh Conspiracy, May 30, 2014, by Eugene Volokh)