Overview

• The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to prioritize prosecuting conduct involving flag desecration under existing criminal and civil statutes and to refer qualifying cases to state and local prosecutors.
• It instructs the Justice Department to pursue litigation aimed at clarifying or narrowing First Amendment precedent, including the 1989 Texas v. Johnson decision.
• Trump said people who burn a flag should get one year in jail with no early release, though the order’s text does not set a sentence, according to reporters who reviewed it.
• The directive authorizes immigration actions against noncitizens who desecrate the flag, including revoking visas, halting naturalization proceedings, and seeking removal.
• Civil-liberties groups and legal scholars say the policy conflicts with Supreme Court rulings and is expected to face immediate constitutional challenges.