DENVER—Prosecutors trying to preserve a federal law aimed at military impostors say the act won’t discourage legitimate free speech because it targets only deliberate falsehoods.
The U.S. attorney in Denver is asking the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a crime to falsely claim to have won a military medal.
A lower court ruled in July the law violates the First Amendment. Prosecutors appealed and filed their opening arguments late Monday.
The case involves a Colorado man who was charged with violating the law by claiming to be an ex-Marine who was wounded in Iraq and received two medals. The military had no record he served.
The law is also being challenged in a separate case in California.
