Snyder vs Phelps: Freedom - Liberty - Justice
On October 6th 2010 the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Snyder v Phelps
Snyder v. Phelps | Citizen Media Law Project
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The funeral picketing case (Snyder v. Phelps, et al., 09-751) focuses on a significant question of First Amendment law: the degree of constitutional protection given to remarks that a private person made about another private person, occurring outside the site of a privae event.. The family of the dead soldier had won a verdict before a jury, but that was overturned by the Fourth Circuit Court, finding that the signs displayed at the funeral in western Maryland and later comments on an anti-gay website were protected speech. The petition for review seeks the Courts protection for families attending a funeral from unwanted remarks or displays by protesters.
kansasprairie.net SUPREME COURT TO RULE ON SNYDER VS PHELPS
Snyder v. Phelps : SCOTUSblog
Issue: (1) Whether the prohibition of awarding damages to public figures to compensate for the intentional infliction of emotional distress, under the Supreme Courts First Amendment precedents, applies to a case involving two private persons regarding a private matter; (2) whether the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment trumps its freedom of religion and peaceful assembly; and (3) whether an individual attending a family members funeral constitutes a captive audience who is entitled to state protection from unwanted communication.
Plain English Issue: Does the First Amendment protect protesters at a funeral from liability for intentionally inflicting emotional distress on the family of the deceased?
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Where do you stand and why?