Stolen Valor: Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Making It A Crime To Lie About Earning Military Medals

I'm not sure how others feel about this, but I am once again disgusted with the supreme court of our country. This is a disgrace to anyone who has worn a uniform, and earned medals, or have been recognized for valor in combat. Now when someone is discovered to pull these stunts there are no longer any legal avenues in which to handle it. I forsee people getting pummeled for doing such things in the future since there is no longer legal action to be taken. In my eyes it is fraud plain and simple, yet too many people are crying that the law violated the first amendment. What do you think?

patdollard.com...

Excerpted from The Washington Post: WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a federal law making it a crime to lie about receiving the Medal of Honor and other prized military awards, with justices branding the false claim “contemptible” but nonetheless protected by the First Amendment.

The court voted 6-3 in favor of Xavier Alvarez, a former local elected official in California who falsely said he was a decorated war veteran and had pleaded guilty to violating the 2006 law, known as the Stolen Valor Act. The law, enacted when the U.S. was at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, was aimed at people making phony claims of heroism in battle.

It long has been a federal crime to wear unearned medals, but mere claims of being decorated were beyond the reach of law enforcement. The Stolen Valor Act aimed to solve that problem, and won significant support in Congress during a time of war.

when we find fakes the protected by the First Amendment also protect us veterans when we out them.

As a vet, I never had an issue wit people acting fraudulent about military service, if all they had was talk and dress. I don't believe in victimless crimes, and a lie of this nature is just that,

However, if they use the lie to receive benefits, gifts or preferential treatment, then they are in essence stealing, which is a legitimate crime and that is where they should be getting them. So the law against thefts or acquiring something fraudulently already exists, and to create a law on top of that is redundant and unnecessary, Much like adding 'hate' to an already existing crime.