re: #424 Simply Sarah

I’ll be honest here. I detest Phelps with a passion, as he’s a bigot, spiteful, heartless, and an affront to real Christians. That being said, I’m glad he won this case, as heart-wrenching as it is to feel that way. A key part of having the right to free speech is allowing people to say things that are very unpopular and viewed as disgusting.

I agree, to a point, but Alito makes some pretty good points in his dissent. (“Neither classic “fighting words” or defamatory statements are immunized when they occur in a public place, and there is no good reason to treat a verbal assault based on the conduct or character of a private figure like Matthew Snyder any differently”)

This seems to be a fairly narrow ruling. Basically it says the Phelps clan cannot be sued for their speech but it does allow for restrictions to be placed for where that speech can be held.