Stephen L. Carter, Columnist

Use of the Presidential Seal Is Tacky, But Not Criminal

No one will be deceived if the Trump Organization posts the mark on its golf courses.

March 6, 2018 at 3:31 PM UTC

Stephen L. Carter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, a professor of law at Yale University and author of “Invisible: The Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster.”

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Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

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I would like to correct what seems to have become an alarmingly common misunderstanding: An act of silliness does not become a crime simply because it is committed by President Donald Trump or the people around him.1520348414943

Case in point: The thunderstruck reaction to the news that the Trump Organization has ordered tee markers for its golf courses emblazoned with the presidential seal. Suddenly one reads everywhere that unofficial, commercial-related use of the seal is a crime.1520348426182