On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church, upholding their right to protest in the vicinity of military funerals. The court's ruling affirms the church's protection under the First Amendment, which assures the right of free speech regardless of how controversial or incendiary that speech may be.
In Falwell-esque fashion, Westboro maintains that God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality, manifesting in the deaths of U.S. military personnel. In 2006, in one of several demonstrations expressing their beliefs, the church, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, picketed at the funeral of slain Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, prompting a lawsuit from his father, Albert Snyder, which culminated in Wednesday's ruling.
The judgement in favor of the justifiably maligned church, amid fervent opposition, harkens back to the discourse surrounding the burning of the national flag. In Texas v. Johnson (1989), and again in U.S. v Eichman (1990), the supreme court ruled that flag desecration was symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment, despite impassioned public sentiment against it.
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