On January 11, 2016, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals during an appeal that the portion of the Stolen Valor Act that deems it illegal for individuals to wear unearned military medals was found to be unconstitutional, and that wearing medals that one was not actually awarded is a protected form of free speech.
The Stolen Valor Act initially was changed with the Act of 2013 making it a Federal Crime to falsely claim to be a recipient of military medals. The Supreme Court states that simply lying about military service and awards is a violation of a person's First Amendment right to free speech. If it is illegal to impersonate a police officer, why not military?
We ask for this issue to be readdressed, and new law presented protecting the integrity of our nation's veterans.