So how did yesterday's Westboro Baptist/FirstAmendment oral arguments go in front of the Supreme Court? Like this: The justices felt bad for the Snyder family, which had to have the funeral for their military son turned into a public spectacle. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "This is a case about exploiting a private family's grief." Elena Kagan: Westboro was "taking advantage of a private funeral to express their views." Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer said they want to see people behind outrageous attacks sued.) But the justices also indicated they were going to be very cautious (and rightfully so) about doing anything that would chip away at free speech rights. (Sonia Sotomayor: "What case stands for the proposition that public speech or speech on a public matter directed toward a private person should be treated differently depending upon the recipient of the speech?")
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Tagged: elena kagan, First Amendment, Fred Phelps, Free Speech, funerals, Lawsuits, margie phelps, Matthew Snyder, Military, Missouri, Snyder v. Phelps, Supreme Court, the shot, westboro, Westboro Baptist Church, Westboro Baptists
