Which Supreme Court justice authored the 5-4 majority opinion in Texas v. Johnson (491 U.S. 397, 1989) protecting flag desecration as symbolic speech under the First Amendment?

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Justice William J. Brennan Jr. authored the 5-4 majority opinion in Texas v. Johnson (491 U.S. 397, 1989), holding that burning the American flag constitutes expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment. Brennan wrote, “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive” and was joined by Justices Marshall, Blackmun, Scalia, and Kennedy. This decision invalidated flag desecration laws in 48 states and reaffirmed that symbolic political protest receives the same rigorous free speech protection as spoken or written expression.

Which Supreme Court justice authored the 5-4 majority opinion in Texas v. Johnson (491 U.S. 397, 1989) protecting flag desecration as symbolic speech under the First Amendment?

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