This is the Supreme Court opinion on the case of United States v. Fields. 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.
