ATTACHMENT: 1989 Flag Protection Statute (18 U.S.C. 700, 1996)

700 Desecration of the flag of the United States: penalties

(a)(1)Whoever knowlingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
(2) This subsection does not prohibit any conduct consisting of the disposal of a flag when it has become worn or soiled.
(b) As used in this section, the term "flag of the United States" means any flag of the United States, or any part thereof, made of any substance, of any size, in a form that is commonly displayed.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as indicating an intent on the part of Congress to deprive any State, territory, possession, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of jurisdiction over any offense over which it would have jurisdiction in th absence of this section;
(d)(1) An appeal may be taken directly to the Supreme Court of the United States from any interlocutory or final judgment, decree, or order issued by a United States district court ruling upon the constitutionality of subsection (a). (2) The Supreme Court shall, if it has not previously ruled on the question, accept jurisdiction over the appeal and advance on the docket and expedite to the greatest extent possible.

Note: The above language was contained in the Flag Protection Act of 1989, adopted in 1989 by the Senate by a vote of 91-9, and by the House by a vote of 380-38. This statute remains on the books at 18 U.S.C. 700 (1996)

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