[1:56 pm: Bumped up above the more specific posts on the case.] The Supreme Court has just agreed to hear Snyder v. Phelps, the funeral picketing case. I think the lower court decision is quite right, and I worry that the Court’s decision signals the Justices’ willingness to overturn it. But I hope the Justices […]
Tag Archives | Funeral Picketing
The Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Tort and the Freedom of Speech
[1:55 pm: Bumped up above the other posts on this case.] I’m blogging today about the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the funeral picketing case. That’s the one in which the jury entered a $10.9 million verdict (reduced by the trial judge to $5 million) against the Phelpsians for their offensive picketing 1000 feet away […]
The Phelpsians’ Speech, the Mohammed Cartoons, and the Slippery Slope
If the Phelpsians magically went to their reward tomorrow, public debate would suffer very little. But I think their speech needs to be protected, because allowing the restriction of such speech — especially using the “intentional infliction of emotional distress” tort — would lead to the restriction of much more valuable speech. Now it’s true, […]
Where’s the State Action in Tort Awards Based on Speech?
Occasionally I hear people ask this question. Criminal prosecution for speech of course involves the government prosecuting and imprisoning or fining someone; injunctions of speech involve a court order barring speech; but when one individual sues another, is that really “state action” that’s governed by the First Amendment? Why isn’t it like a private employer […]
Jury Discretion, Viewpoint Discrimination, and the Size of the Snyder v. Phelps Compensatory Damages Award
The jury awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages to the plaintiff in Snyder v. Phelps. (It also awarded $8 million in punitive damages, which the judge reduced to $2.1 million.) Now I stress again that the speech here was extremely offensive (and, in my view, entirely unjustified); and of course the plaintiff, being a grieving […]
Funeral Picketing and Residential Picketing
I’ve tried to explain recent posts why I think this particular verdict based on funeral picketing is unconstitutional, because the intentional infliction of emotional distress tort and the invasion of privacy tort can’t properly be used to punish such speech. But may a legislature permissibly enact statutes banning funeral picketing, perhaps by analogy to many […]
The Phelpsians’ Picketing and Fighting Words
I’ve argued in earlier posts that the verdict against Phelps should be set aside because the intentional infliction of emotional distress tort is facially overbroad and thus unconstitutional as applied to speech. The tort might be constitutional if a court limits it to applying only to otherwise unprotected speech (such as threats, fighting words, and […]
Invasion of Privacy and the Freedom of Speech
The Snyder v. Phelps jury held defendants liable not just for intentional infliction of emotional distress, but also for invasion of privacy. “Invasion of privacy” covers several torts, but the ones alleged here were “intrusion upon seclusion” (because the picketing was outside a funeral, albeit 1000 feet away) and “publicity given to private life” (apparently […]
The Overbreadth Doctrine and the Funeral Picketing Case
I blogged above about why the intentional infliction of emotional distress tort is unconstitutional, at least unless it’s limited to otherwise unprotected speech (such as threats or fighting words) — which it hasn’t been. Here I want to explain why it’s proper to focus on the constitutionality of the law generally, and not just on […]