DOJ drops charges against Army veteran who burned flag to protest Trump executive order

The Justice Department moved to dismiss charges against Army veteran Jan "Jay" Carey on March 14, 2026, after he burned an American flag in Lafayette Square on August 25, 2025 — hours after Trump signed an executive order directing prosecutors to "vigorously prosecute" flag burners. Carey faced two misdemeanors for igniting a fire in an undesignated area, not flag burning itself. The dismissal came days before a court deadline requiring DOJ to disclose whether Trump's executive order drove the prosecution, following a January ruling threatening exactly that inquiry.