An Intense Attack by Justice Thomas on Cross-Burning

"A burning cross is indeed highly symbolic, Justice Thomas said, but only of something that deserves no constitutional protection: the 'reign of terror' visited on black communities by the Ku Klux Klan for nearly 100 years before Virginia passed the law, which the Virginia Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a year ago. A burning cross is 'unlike any symbol in our society,' Justice Thomas said. 'There's no other purpose to the cross, no communication, no particular message,' he continued. 'It was intended to cause fear and to terrorize a population.'"