WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court justices on Wednesday pondered
the vexing question of whether the father of a dead Marine should
win his lawsuit against a fundamentalist church group that picketed
his son's funeral.
The complexity and weightiness of the First Amendment issue were
palpable in the courtroom as justices heard arguments in the case
of Albert Snyder. His son died in Iraq in 2006, and members of the
Westboro Baptist Church protested the funeral to make their point
that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for
Americans' immorality, including tolerance of homosexuality and
abortion.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the question is whether the
First Amendment must tolerate "exploiting this bereaved family."
There was no clear answer from the court.
Snyder is asking the court to reinstate a $5 million verdict
against the Westboro members who held signs outside the funeral of
Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, including ones that read "Thank God for
Dead Soldiers, "You're Going to Hell" and "God Hates the USA."
The Marine was killed in a Humvee accident in 2006.