The ACLU has filed suit on behalf of a religious group that pickets military funerals with anti-gay messages. The suit challenges the state of Missouri's law barring picketing near military funerals. An equivalent federal measure was signed into law earlier this year. According to the Washington Post:
The church and the Rev. Fred Phelps say God is allowing troops, coal miners and others to be killed because the United States tolerates gay men and lesbians. . . .
In the lawsuit the ACLU says the Missouri law tries to limit protesters' free speech based on the content of their message. It is asking the court to declare the ban unconstitutional and to issue an injunction to keep it from being enforced, which would allow the group to resume picketing.
UPDATE: I neglected to note that Eugene has addressed the constitutionality of limits on funeral picketing in this article for National Review Online (and here on the VC).
Related Posts (on one page):
- Federal District Court Strikes Down Parts of Funeral Picketing Ban,
- Funeral Picketing:
- ACLU Backs Funeral Picketers:
- AP Error About Funeral Picketing Restriction Makes Its Way Into New York Times:
- More on Newly Passed Federal Anti-Funeral-Picketing Bill:
- Congress Enacts Anti-Funeral-Picketing Bill:
- Funeral Picketing:
- Funeral Picketing: