Snyder v. Phelps case brief summary
OUTCOME: The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit was affirmed. 8-1 Decision; one concurrence; one dissent.
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131 S. Ct. 1207
FACTS:
-Petitioner, father of a marine who was killed in the line of duty, won a jury verdict from defendant protestors, who picketed for about 30 minutes before the funeral began on public land approximately 1,000 feet from the church where the funeral was held.
-The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the verdict, concluding that the protestors' statements were entitled to First Amendment protection. Certiorari was granted.
ANALYSIS:
ANALYSIS:
-The content of the protestors' signs plainly related to broad issues of interest to society at large, rather than matters of purely private concern.
-While the messages may have fallen short of refined social or political commentary, the issues they highlighted--the political and moral conduct of the United States and its citizens, the fate of the nation, homosexuality in the military, and scandals involving the Catholic clergy--were matters of public import.
-The context of the speech and its connection with the funeral did not make the speech a matter of private rather than public concern.
-Simply put, the protestors had the right to be where they were.
-They alerted local authorities to their funeral protest and fully complied with police guidance on where the picketing could be staged.
-The picketing was conducted under police supervision some 1,000 feet from the church, out of the sight of those at the church.
-The protest was not unruly; there was no shouting, profanity, or violence.
-Any distress occasioned by the picketing turned on the content and viewpoint of the message conveyed, rather than any interference with the funeral itself.
OUTCOME: The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit was affirmed. 8-1 Decision; one concurrence; one dissent.
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