"Flag Day, June 14th, is a day to demonstrate our deep respect for the American Flag, the values it represents and the sacrifices so many Americans have made in defense of our nation.  The Stars and Stripes are the symbol of our unity as a nation, our independence and our freedom.  That's why I have always been such a strong supporter of an amendment to ban the desecration of that symbol.  And that's why we have a special day -- June 14th -- for all of us to recognize the struggles, hard work and sacrifice of all Americans who have built and protected our freedom.  As the daughter of a World War II veteran, the sacrifice made by our veterans and active duty service members is first in my thoughts today."

 

Berkley Supported Ban on Flag Burning.  In 2005, Berkley voted to amend the U.S. Constitution to give Congress the authority to prohibit physically desecrating the U.S. flag.  The resolution was aimed at a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that reversed the conviction of a Texas man under state law for “desecration of a venerated object” after he burned a flag at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Houston.  “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable,” wrote former Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr.  Congress responded to the ruling with a law that criminalized flag burning.  The Supreme Court struck down that law as unconstitutional in 1990.  The amendment supported by Berkley passed 286-130, with the necessary two-thirds majority to move to the Senate.  [HJR 10, Vote #296, 6/22/05; CQ Today, 6/23/05]

Berkley Repeatedly Voted for Ban on Flag Burning.  Berkley has repeatedly voted for a Constitutional ban on the burning and desecration of the American flag.  [HJR 4, Vote #234, 6/03/03; HFRES 36, Vote #232, 6/17/01; HJR 33]

 

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