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Constitutional Law Keyed to Stone
Snyder v. Phelps
Citation:
562 U.S. 443 (2011)Facts
Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder was killed in Iraq in the line of duty. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, led by Fred Phelps, traveled to Maryland to picket near his funeral. The church believes that God punishes the United States for its tolerance of homosexuality, particularly in the military. The protesters displayed signs with messages including “God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11,” “America is Doomed,” “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “Priests Rape Boys,” “God Hates Fags,” and “You’re Going to Hell.” They notified authorities in advance and complied with police instructions, positioning themselves on public land about 1,000 feet from the church where the funeral was held. The protest lasted about 30 minutes before the funeral began. Snyder’s father filed suit for intentional infliction of emotional distress, intrusion upon seclusion, and civil conspiracy. He testified that he could see only the tops of the signs while driving to the funeral but later learned of their content from news coverage, and that thinking about the picketing caused him severe emotional distress.
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