Download Project-Supreme Court Opinion

Project: Supreme Court Opinion
Abel Fields, a resident of California, is being tried for violating the Stolen Valor Act which was signed into
law in 2006. In 2011, Abel Fields attended a city meeting about public safety.
He spoke publicly at the meeting, explaining that his military experience gave him the knowledge to
speak with authority about public safety issues.
During his speech, he claimed that he had served in the military for eight years. He also claimed that he
had received the Purple Heart, a prestigious medal. However, each of Fields’s claims was false. He had
never served in the military, and he had never received a medal. After being found guilty and charged
with an $1,000 fine, Fields appealed the court’s decision which brings us here.
Abel Fields argued that the Stolen Valor Act was unconstitutional, and that his right to free speech had
been violated, therefore, I will be taking in a count of several similar rulings on other cases to help me
make a decision.