The Case Of Abel Fields Vs United States

U.S. v Fields In the case of Abel Fields v. The United States, Abel Fields was convicted for falsely claiming that he received a Purple Heart Award for bravery. However, he had never served in the military, and he had never actually received a military award. Fields was convicted under the Stolen Valor Act of 2006, stating that it is illegal to make false claims about receiving many types of military awards. Punishment includes fines and imprisonment. The appeals court overturned Fields’ conviction. Fields has argued that he is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, granting him the right to free speech. He has also argued that he didn’t harm anyone, and the he didn’t receive anything valuable from his false claim. Fields’ prosecutors are arguing that intentional lies should not be protected, as this is perjury. They are also arguing that lying about receiving the Purple Heart award damages the integrity of the award, and that is makes the award less valuable for actual recipients. In the case of the New York Times Co.

Fields made a false claim about receiving the Purple Heart, however, (a) nothing he did threatened public safety, (b) he did not “steal” the award from anyone, and (c) he has the right to free speech, even if what he is voicing is false or unpopular. First of all, nobody was injured or killed due to Fields lying about his award, so there is no apparent threat to the people. Second of all, Fields didn’t physically take the award form someone who rightfully earned it, he went and bought one himself. Third of all, according to the Constitution of the United States, every citizen has the right to express themselves. Though what Fields claimed was not true, he still has the right to do so. Referencing back to the case of Texas v. Johnson, just because what someone is saying is not liked by society, doesn’t mean that he or she has to be