2026年3月13日 / 美国东部时间晚上11:26 / CBS新闻
周五，华盛顿特区联邦检察官决定撤回对一名男子的指控。该男子去年因在白宫外焚烧美国国旗而被起诉，起因是特朗普总统签署了一项行政命令，指示司法部调查焚烧国旗的行为。
扬·凯里（Jan Carey）在华盛顿特区联邦法院面临两项轻罪刑事指控。两项指控均未直接针对他焚烧国旗的行为：一项指控是他“在非指定区域和容器内点火”，另一项指控是他“以威胁、造成损害并导致焚烧不动产和公园资源的方式点火”。
两项指控均最高可处6个月监禁或罚款。
凯里此前不认罪，并对其起诉书提出异议。
截至发稿时，华盛顿特区美国检察官办公室尚未立即回应置评请求。
凯里的律师马拉·费尔海登-希利亚德（Mara Verheyden-Hilliard）在周五晚间提供给CBS新闻的一份声明中表示：“政府试图通过总统下令起诉的表达行为来刑事惩罚抗议者，这对《第一修正案》自由构成了严重威胁。司法部的态度转变是对这些权利的关键维护。本案也为捍卫全国范围内被特朗普政府以报复性起诉方式针对的人士奠定了基础，这些起诉旨在压制和惩罚其不喜欢的观点。这是民主和《第一修正案》的胜利。”
在WUSA9电视台拍摄的焚烧国旗视频中，凯里自称是退伍军人，并表示他在抗议该行政命令，当时他告诉媒体：“我立刻想到，我需要在白宫前焚烧国旗，来检验一下。”
2025年8月25日，特朗普总统展示一份签署的行政命令，要求司法部调查焚烧美国国旗的事件。埃文·沃西（Evan Vucci）/美联社
特朗普总统签署的行政命令指示司法部调查焚烧美国国旗的行为，尽管最高法院在1989年裁定《第一修正案》保护包括焚烧国旗在内的象征性言论。
总统的行政命令试图规避最高法院的裁决。该命令称，联邦检察官应优先起诉违反其他“内容中立法律”的焚烧国旗行为，并表示如果焚烧国旗“可能煽动迫在眉睫的非法行动”或构成“战斗言论”，最高法院并未排除相关指控。
总统长期以来一直推动对焚烧美国国旗行为进行刑事起诉，2016年他曾暗示应通过“剥夺公民身份或一年监禁”来惩罚此类行为。
DOJ moves to drop charges against man who burned U.S. flag outside White House
March 13, 2026 / 11:26 PM EDT / CBS News
Federal prosecutors in D.C. on Friday moved to drop charges against a man who was charged last year after he burned an American flag outside the White House, after President Trump had signed an executive order directing the DOJ to investigate flag burning.
Jan Carey was facing two misdemeanor criminal counts in Washington, D.C., federal court. Neither charge focused on the fact that he burned a flag, specifically: One of the counts was for lighting a fire “not in a designated area and receptacle,” and another was for lighting a fire “in a manner that threatened, caused damage to, and resulted in the burning of property, real property, and park resources.”
Both charges were punishable by a fine or no more than six months in custody.
Carey had pleaded not guilty and was challenging his indictment.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in D.C. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The government’s attempt to criminally punish a protestor based on expressive conduct targeted for prosecution by presidential order posed a grave threat to First Amendment freedoms,” Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney for Carey, said in a statement provided to CBS News Friday night. “The Justice Department’s about-face is a critical vindication of those rights. This case also lays the groundwork for defending those across the country who are targeted for vindictive prosecution by the Trump Administration in an effort to silence and punish viewpoint it doesn’t like. This is a victory for democracy and the First Amendment.”
In a video of the flag burning that was captured by WUSA9, Carey identified himself as a military veteran and said he was protesting the executive order, telling the outlet at the time that he “immediately thought I need to go burn a flag in front of the White House and let’s put this to the test.”
President Trump holds up a signed executive order on Aug. 25, 2025, requiring the Justice Department to investigate instances of flag burning. Evan Vucci / AP
Mr. Trump had signed an executive order directing the DOJ to investigate people who burn the American flag, even though the Supreme Court in 1989 ruled that the First Amendment protected symbolic speech, including flag burning.
The president’s order attempts to navigate around the Supreme Court ruling. It said federal prosecutors should prioritize bringing cases against instances of flag burning that violate other “content-neutral laws,” and said the high court didn’t rule out charges if burning a flag “is likely to incite imminent lawless action” or amounts to “fighting words.”
The president has long pushed for criminal prosecutions for burning an American flag, suggesting in 2016 that it should be punished by “loss of citizenship or year in jail.”