Judge Overturns Nebraska's Ban on Flag Mutilation: What's Your Reaction?

Sept. 3, 2010— -- A federal judge overturned a Nebraska ban on flag mutilation in response to a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.

U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf ruled that Nebraska's flag ban violated the right to free speech. Nebraska's ban had been in place since 1977, but the U.S. Supreme Court has since passed rulings that categorize flag desecreation as a form of protected speech.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., regularly travel around the country to protest at soldiers' funerals. Members believe that God is punishing the United States for tolerating homosexuality, carrying signs that say, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."

The members also tie American flags to their feet, desecreating the banner by walking on it and wearing it upside down. Church member Megan Phelps-Roper, who tramples on the flag at military funerals, filed the lawsuit. Thursday her attorney said that the church has been "expressively using the flag a lot in Nebraska."

Our question to you today: What's your reaction to a judge overturning Nebraska's flag mutilation ban?

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