Voices of American Law

When KKK leader Barry Black was convicted of cross burning in Carroll County, Virginia, he called the ACLU and challenged the constitutionality of the statute. This important case, 538 U.S. 343 (2003), tested the ability of government to regulate a form of symbolic expression traditionally associated with hatred and violence. The story is told by Black, ACLU attorneys David Baugh and Rod Smolla, prosecuting attorneys Greg Goad and William Hurd, and local police officials Warren Manning and Rick Clark.