OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge has overturned Nebraska's ban on flag mutilation.
Thursday's ruling is a victory for activists from a Kansas church who trample on the U.S. flag when they protest at military funerals.
U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf said the state's flag-protection law can't be applied so long as members of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., otherwise act peacefully.
Megan Phelps-Roper filed the lawsuit in July, saying the law violated her right to free speech.
Westboro members protest at soldier funerals across the nation because they believe U.S. troop deaths are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. Members often trample on the U.S. flag, wear it and display it upside-down as part of their protests.
