Central Illinois man files lawsuit over flag-burning arrest

CHICAGO (AP) — A 22-year-old central Illinois man who was arrested and detained after posting online pictures of himself burning an American flag has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have the state's flag desecration law declared unconstitutional.

[...] state laws are already invalid after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separately, in 1989 and 1990, that flag burning and other forms of damage are constitutionally protected free speech.

The posts, which generated hundreds of comments, led police officers to arrest Mellott while he worked at Wal-Mart and detain him for several hours.

President-elect Donald Trump recently said that anyone who burns an American flag should face "consequences," such as jail or a loss of citizenship, despite the Supreme Court determinations.