The Justice Department has moved to dismiss charges against an Army veteran who set fire to an American flag near the White House last year to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order on flag burning. Jay Carey of Arden, North Carolina, was arrested in August after he set fire to a flag in Lafayette Park. Earlier that day, Trump signed an executive order requiring the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute people for burning the American flag. Carey was charged with two misdemeanors that aren’t focused on the act of burning a flag and pleaded not guilty. Carey says he hopes the victory "can help the next person who takes a stand.”

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Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade testifies at a Senate Special Committee on Investigations Subcommittee hearing at the Capitol in Atlanta, Friday, March 13, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

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State Sen. Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor, questions former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade at a Senate Special Committee on Investigations Subcommittee hearing at the Capitol in Atlanta, Friday, March 13, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

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Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade is sworn in for his testimony at a Senate Special Committee on Investigations Subcommittee hearing at the Capitol in Atlanta, Friday, March 13, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)