An Act to prohibit desecration of the flag and for other purposes
PL 90-381 (H.R.10480), enacted 07/05/1968

82 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 90-381-JULY 5, 1968 
291 
Public Law 90-380 
AN ACT 
July 5, 1968 
To aiueiHl set'tlou 11-341 (b) of the District of C^oluiubia Code which relates to 
[H. R. sssij 
the sales price for the rei>orts of the oi)inioiis of the I'nited States CSourt of 
Api)eals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 
Be it muieted hy the Semite and House of Representatices 
of the 
United 
State>i of America 
in (Jonqre>>H (m-Hembled^ That section, 
u.s. court o
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Appeals for DC-
Stat. 480. 
11-841 (b) of the District of Columbia Code is amended by striking out circuit' 
'Sit not more than $6.50 per volume'' and inserting in lieu thereof "at 
77 st£ 
not more than $12 per volume" 
Approved July 5, 1968. 
Public Law 90-381 
AN ACT 
July 5, 1968 
To prohibit desecration of the flag, and for other purposes. 
[H. R. IO480] 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That chapter 33 of 
fi^g desecra-
title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting immediately pre- *'"i?enaities. 
ceding section 701 thereof, a new section as follows: 
62 stat. 731. 
18 use 701-
"§ 700. Desecration of the flag of the United States; penalties 
713. 
"(a) Whoever knowingly casts contempt upon any flag of the 
United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or 
trampling upon it shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned 
for not more than one year, or both. 
"(b) The term 'flag of the United States' as used in this section, un'it^ed'st°a\is*'" 
shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or rep-
resentation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any 
substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently pur-
porting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the 
L^nited States of America, or a picture or a representation of either, 
upon which shall be sliown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any 
number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which 
the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe 
the same to represent the flag, standards, colors, or ensign of the 
Linited States of America. 
"(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as indicating an in-
tent on the part of Congress to deprive any State, territory, possession, 
or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of jurisdiction over any offense 
over which it would have jurisdiction in the absence of this section." 
SEC. 2. The analj^sis of chapter 33 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting at the beginning thereof the following: 
••§ 700. Desecration of the flag of the United States; penalties." 
SEC. 3. Section 3 of title 4, United States Code, is amended by strik- 
^^ ^*^* ^^2. 
ing from the first sentence thereof the following: "; or who, within 
the District of Columbia, shall publicly mutilate, deface, defile or 
defy, trample upon, or cast contempt, either by w^ord or act, upon any 
such flag, standard, colors, or ensign,". 
Approved July 5, 1968.