Chad Sexington wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 6:07 pm I’ve no dog in this fight, and I don’t want to derail the thread, but I always wondered how it is that Westboro Baptist Church could get away with protesting/picketing at the funerals of fallen military personnel, getting right in the faces of bereaved families, telling them they’re glad their loved ones died, and waving their “God hates Fags” etc’ banners.
How or why, have the WBC never been brought to task?

The Supreme Court's holding turned largely on its determination that the church was speaking on "matters of public concern" as opposed to "matters of purely private significance." The Court explained that "[s]peech deals with matters of public concern when it can 'be fairly considered as relating to any matter of political, social, or other concern to the community' or when it 'is a subject of general interest and of value and concern to the public.'" Speech on public issues is entitled to special protection under the First Amendment because it serves the "the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open."

Even though some of the picket signs arguably targeted only the Snyder family, most of them addressed issues regarding the moral conduct of the U.S., the fate of the U.S., and homosexuality in the military. As such, the "overall thrust and dominant theme" of the speech related to broader public issues.