first amendment rights

Judge strikes down Michigan law barring protests at military funerals

Rick Pluta and Mark Brush — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:44:58 +0000

Update 1:44 p.m.

A federal judge has struck down the Michigan law that bars protests at funerals.

Detroit U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington says the law violates free speech rights and is too vague too enforce.

Lewis and Jean Lowden challenged the law after they were stopped and removed from a funeral procession by police.

They had signs critical of President George W. Bush taped to their car windows.

They were on their way to the burial of a family friend who died in Iraq.

Dan Korobkin is the American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represented the Lowdens. He says it is still illegal to disrupt a funeral.

"But what’s not against the law is to express your own views on a public street and risk being arrested or penalized for that just because your views don’t accord with the views of other people – either at the funeral or, even in this case, the police officers who were directing traffic," said Korobkin.

The law was passed largely to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from protesting at the funerals of fallen service members. Members of the church show up outside military funerals with signs that say the deaths were caused by America’s tolerance of homosexuality.

10:55 a.m.

This just came in from MPRN's Rick Pluta:

A federal judge has struck down the state law barring protests at military funerals.

The Michigan law was passed in 2006 to keep members of the Westboro Baptist Church from demonstrating at military funerals. More than 40 states passed similar legislation barring the practice, according to the First Amendment Center.

Last March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro protesters in the "Snyder v. Phelps" case.

Last month, a similar state law in Missouri was found to be unconstitutional by a federal judge.

We'll have more from Rick Pluta later today.

Controversial Florida pastor will finally hold his rally in Dearborn this evening

Steve Carmody — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:49:36 +0000

A controversial Florida pastor is scheduled to begin a rally in downtown Dearborn at this hour. The rally will take place in front of Dearborn city hall.

Supreme Court rules in favor of Westboro funeral protestors

Mark Brush — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:07:14 +0000

In "Snyder v. Phelps," the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas.

The Church got attention by picketing military funerals holding signs that read:

"God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11"
"America is Doomed”
“Don’t Pray for the USA"
“Thank God for IEDs”
“Thank God for Dead Soldiers”
“Pope in Hell”
“Priests Rape Boys”
“God Hates Fags”
“You’re Going to Hell”
and last, but not least... “God Hates You.”

From the Wall Street Journal:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the First Amendment protects a fringe religious group that protested at the funeral of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq.
The court, on an 8-1 vote, ruled that the soldier's father couldn't sue Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., for celebrating his son's death with vulgar funeral pickets and an online attack.
The case was a test of how far the First Amendment goes in protecting offensive speech.

CMU students listen to and protest lecture of fundamental church members

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church spoke to journalism students at Central Michigan University Monday. The church is known for protesting at the funerals of U.S. soldiers. The group was invited to speak to journalism law students about how far free speech is protected by the first amendment.