Legal Opinion
Snyder v. Phelps
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided March 2, 2011No. 09-751PublishedCited by 823 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtChief Justice Roberts
A jury held members of the Westboro Baptist Church liable for millions of dollars in damages for picketing near a soldier’s funeral service. The picket signs reflected the church’s view that the United States is overly tolerant of sin and that God kills American soldiers as punishment. The question presented is whether the First Amendment shields the church members from tort liability for their speech in this case.
*448I
A
Fred Phelps founded the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, in 1955. The church’s congregation believes that God hates and punishes the United States for its tolerance of…
2Cases cited27 opinions
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanSupreme Court of the United States · 1964
- Connick Ex Rel. Parish of Orleans v. MyersSupreme Court of the United States · 1983
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1984
- Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1985
- Clark v. Community for Creative Non-ViolenceSupreme Court of the United States · 1984
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3Cited by823 opinions
- Morgan v. SwansonCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 2011
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- Janus v. State, County, and Municipal EmployeesSupreme Court of the United States · 2018
- Albert Clatterbuck v. City of CharlottesvilleCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2013
- United States v. AlvarezSupreme Court of the United States · 2012
818 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.