The United States Flag Code establishes advisory rules for display and care of the flag of the United States

Flag of the United States

The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...

. It is Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code

Title 4 of the United States Code

Title 4 of the United States Code outlines the role of flag of the United States, Great Seal of the United States, Washington, DC, and the states in the United States Code.-Chapter 1:...

 ( et seq). This is a U.S. federal law, but there is no penalty for failure to comply with it and it is not widely enforced—indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 has ruled that punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment

First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...

 right to freedom of speech

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...

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This etiquette is as applied within U.S. jurisdiction.