The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Oct. 6 from both the government and the fringe religious group, over whether the group’s practice of demonstrating at funerals of fallen service members is protected by the First Amendment rights to free assembly and free speech. The suit was originally filed by Albert Snyder, the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in action in Iraq. It challenged the right of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, and its leader, Fred Phelps, to carry signs at military funerals that carry slogans equating military deaths with divine revenge against tolerance of homosexuality. While a lower federal court ruled in Albert Snyder’s favor, Phelps and the Westboro group appealed to a U.S. circuit court and won. In that ruling, the judge ordered Snyder to pay Westboro’s court costs. Snyder then appealed to the high court, which accepted the case. Snyder contends that his right to privacy supersedes any free-speech claim Westboro and Phelps offer.
