AL GOP Senate Candidate Falsely Announces Taking A Knee During National Anthem Is "Against The Law"

Candidate Roy Moore

TIME Magazine reports that former Alabama Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court and current candidate for the U.S. Senate, Roy Moore, erroneously believes that professional athletes who take a knee during the national anthem are breaking the law.

(p.s. They aren't)

In an interview with TIME magazine, the Alabama Republican argued that NFL players and others who have protested police violence are violating a section of the U.S. code which outlines how people should conduct themselves when the anthem is played. (The code merely outlines proper etiquette, and there are no legal penalties outlined in the law.)

“It’s against the law, you know that?” he said. “It was a act of Congress that every man stand and put their hand over their heart. That’s the law.” “If they didn’t have it in there, it would just be tradition. But this is law,” he said. “If we disobey this, what else are we going to disobey?

As the article states, U.S. Code 301 is not law but considered proper etiquette. If you read the few short lines of text, the word "should" not "shall" is used.

Moore himself has broken the law several times in his career. Once when he defied a court order to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments he had installed at his court house; and also when he ordered judges in his state to ignore the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which made marriage equality legal in all fifty states.

Folks on the right and left openly laughed at Moore on Twitter:

You’d be laughed out of court if you tried to enforce this and a state supreme court justice would know that https://t.co/IApnIFCw9k

— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) October 18, 2017

Roy Moore incorrectly says kneeling during the national anthem is "against the law" https://t.co/nyfUl8yfPE pic.twitter.com/ST5nPikgOD

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) October 18, 2017

Roy Moore thinks it's illegal to not stand during the national anthem (it's not) https://t.co/CtNsDmCVtJ

— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) October 18, 2017

A judge who doesn't know difference between "should" and "shall." Ridiculous. https://t.co/whWopjuROb

— Pierre Tristam (@PierreTristam) October 18, 2017

Roy Moore is wrong. No one can be compelled by law to stand for the National Anthem. #civilliberties101 https://t.co/SeZb79rkAt

— Prof. Manna (@ProfessorManna) October 18, 2017

This just wrong. Nowhere in the US is it illegal to kneel when the national anthem is played. Repub. Roy Moore is running for US Senate. https://t.co/9HseXddUIl

— Mary O'Grady (@OGrady_Texas) October 18, 2017

Trump: I’m gonna take away NBC’s license
—that’s not a real thing
Roy Moore: it’s illegal to kneel for the anthem
—neither is that

— Andrew (@manlybadman) October 18, 2017

Serious question. How did this man become a judge? The U.S. code states "should", meaning the conduct is a suggestion or compulsory.

— Britain G. (@sanefacade) October 18, 2017