Protecting Extreme Speech | Snyder v. Phelps

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In episode 77 of Supreme Court Briefs, the Westboro Baptist Church decides to protest a dead soldier's funeral with signs like “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “God Hates Fags,” “You’re Going to Hell,” and “God Hates America.” The dead soldier's dad sues them.

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Snyder v. Phelps reaffirmed the principle that, even if speech is ridiculously offensive and unpopular, it’s still protected by the First Amendment. In other words, the government can’t restrict speech simply because it’s extremely distasteful or causes emotional harm. As long as you protest peacefully on public land, you can pretty much say the most outrageous things imaginable. Indeed, the Phelps still regularly do this.