By: Alex Stompoly

This month a case is going to be heard by the Supreme Court on whether or not certain activities are protected under free speech in the Bill of Rights.  The activity in question is protesting, and where this is taking place, funerals.

Matthew Snyder a twenty year old war hero and son, was killed in non violence related vehicle accident in May 2006.  Stricken with grief all his parents wanted to do was to bury their son.  Sadly they couldn’t even do that without someone tormenting them even further.

Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, and his followers were picketing the funeral with signs that read, ‘SOILDERS ARE THE DEVIL’, ‘SNYDER ROTS IN HELL.’  These are only a few of the terrible things Phelps and his band of followers were saying.  Know for their protest of military funerals, gay pride events, and high political profile events.  The group sang songs condemning the late Matthew Snyder, using his death as a justification to prove their point that God hates soilders.  Stricken with grief, and now angered by arrogance, Snyder’s parents had been given much more than they could deal with.

Now nearly four years later, they are getting their chance to settle the score.  After a lawsuit in 2007 awarded Albert Snyder, father of Matthew Snyder, $10.1 million after Phelps was found guilty of invasion of privacy; the case now will see the steps of the Supreme Court.  To ensure that no one else has to suffer through this again Albert Snyder is asking that protests like this and pickets are stopped.

The Supreme Court has heard oral arguments and the case is now under consideration.  Sadly, one question remains unanswered, are acts like this protected under the first amendment?  That is what the courts have to decide.  Is what Phelps and his group do legally right? What do you think Oak Park?