Sporting Unearned Medal Protected By First Amendment

An appeals court has found that the portion of federal law that made it a crime to wear an unearned military medal violates the First Amendment. The 11-judge panel found that wearing a medal conveys a message, which falls under the Constitutional right to free speech. The ruling overturns the conviction of Elven Joe Swisher, a former Marine who testified in a case while wearing a military medal he did not earn.