SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Barnett
Snyder v. Phelps
Citation:
562 U.S. 443 (2011)Facts
The Westboro Baptist Church is a radical church that espouses the idea that God punishes the United States for its tolerance of homosexuality, especially within the military. The Westboro Baptist Church often pickets at the funerals of United States military members to publicize their message. Here, the Church chose to picket the funeral of a marine, Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. The Church notified authorities before the funeral of their intent to picket, and they complied with police instructions during the demonstration. They held signs across the street from the church on public land (200 – 300 feet from the funeral procession).
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.
Topic Resources
Topic Outline
First AmendmentTopic Refresher Course
Introduction to Freedom SpeechTopic Charts & Notes
First Amendment Chart