When we first heard about the 8-1 Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church, we were confused. This ridiculous group protests outside military funerals, including the one in question held for Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, putting the families of the soldiers through more grief than necessary.
But they do it legally, within the parameters of local laws and under the protection of the First Amendment.
Eight of the justices decided it wasn’t their place to abridge the church members’ freedom of speech simply because it was offensive to others.
Although our guts might tell us otherwise, our country protects their right to express themselves in a peaceful manner on public property, no matter how bothersome their messages may be.
After we realized the court was taking a Voltaire-like stance on the issue, most of our concerns were satisfied. Except one: Why would a justice vote against this right?
Good ol’ Samuel Alito never lets us down. He made the lone dissenting vote, arguing the Marine’s family had a right to privacy during the funeral and that it was infringed upon by the protestors. We’re thankful none of the other justices shared his view on what we consider one of the most important components of American life.
There are restrictions on what the First Amendment covers, even now, such as so-called “fighting words.” However, if we restrict the right to peaceably assemble and protest, we lose part of what it means to be American.
