Westboro Baptist wins appeal

A few years ago, Westboro Baptist Church was sued for invasion of privacy and emotional distress after they picketed a funeral for a Marine lance corporal in Maryland. (That man was named Matthew Snyder.) His father sued the church and won a $5 million judgment ... which has just been overturned by a federal appeals panel, citing First Amendment protection. Snyder's father is considering an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

KC close to repealing its ban on funeral protests?

From Lynn Horsley: A City Council Committee recommended today that the city repeal its ordinance against funeral picketing despite council outrage over the Fred Phelps family’s picketing of military funerals.

The council’s Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee endorsed repealing the city law because recent court rulings have struck down other cities’ funeral picketing restrictions. Kansas City has also been threatened with a lawsuit arguing that its ordinance is an unlawful infringement on free speech rights.

The full council will consider the repeal later this month.

Should KC repeal its funeral-picketing ordinance?

Westboro Baptist Church has threatened to sue Kansas City over its ordinance banning funeral picketing. The legal department says they'll probably lose, and the ordinance will be knocked down anyway. Councilman Ed Ford wants to go ahead and repeal. The rest of the committee delayed and asked the legal department for a "creative" solution, KCUR reports.

MO still can't enforce its law on funeral protests

The Supreme Court has refused to get involved in the case, the AP reports. Shirley Phelps-Roper of Westboro Baptist Church previously got a federal appeals court to prevent the state from enforcing the law until a federal judge decides whether it's constitutional.

Update on the Phelps-Roper flag desecration case

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, is on trial in Papillion, Neb., on a charge of flag desecration. Authorities allege that Phelps-Roper let her son stand on the flag during a 2007 funeral protest, and they say that Phelps-Roper herself wore a flag as a skirt that dragged on the ground.

The defense is arguing that her First Amendment rights are being ignored here. They've tried to get the law itself thrown out, but a county court has upheld it.

The AP says that both sides in the case have presented written arguments, nothing oral, and the judge will give his ruling at some point in the future. No deadline was set.

Westboro gets a temporary win over Gladstone's funeral-protest rule

From Mark Morris: A Kansas City federal judge today barred the city of Gladstone from enforcing an ordinance that prohibits protests at soldiers’ funerals.

Shirley L. Phelps-Roper of Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church asked for the order pending a decision on whether the city’s ordinance is constitutional. The same judge also is considering whether a similar Missouri law is constitutional.

Say, how are our friends at Westboro Baptist?

As it happens, they're getting to meet some young people from Shawnee Mission East.

Also, it looks like those flag-desecration charges against Shirley Phelps-Roper are really going to go forward in Nebraska.

Hat Tip: Saw this via the Pitch's Plog!

St. Joe sued over funeral picketing law

The ACLU filed suit for Shirley Phelps-Roper of Westboro Baptist Church, a Topeka congregation infamous for protesting the funerals of, well, everybody. (Though legislators didn't get moved to action until it was soldiers and not, say, people with AIDS.) St. Joe has an ordinance banning the practice. Phelps-Roper says the city's rules are unconstitutional. Mark Morris has more here.

And if you want to read the entire lawsuit, ta-da. It's available here as a PDF.

File photo of Phelps-Roper protesting at Ground Zero in New York.

Westboro Baptist really doesn't want to pay $5 million judgment

From The AP: A lawyer for Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church on Tuesday urged the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond to overturn a Maryland jury’s $5 million award to the family of Matthew Snyder, a Marine who was killed in Iraq. Protesters carried signs with inflammatory messages like, “You’re going to hell.”

An attorney for the church said the messages were grounded in the congregation’s religious beliefs and were protected by the Constitution.

The Snyder family’s attorney said the messages were not protected because they did not involve a matter of public concern.

Westboro Baptist wins a battle over funeral protests

From The AP: A federal appeals court panel said Friday that Missouri should be barred from enforcing a state law limiting protests near funerals until it can be determined if the law is constitutional.

The same three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reached the same conclusion last December. But the state of Missouri appealed, saying the judges had used the wrong legal standard.

The court on Friday said Westboro Baptist Church member Shirley Phelps-Roper had met the higher standard and was entitled to an injunction barring the state from enforcing the law.

ACLU: These Death Row inmates deserve health care

The ACLU says that Death Row inmates in Terre Haute are regularly denied treatment, not just for medical problems, but dental and mental issues, too.

It cited one instance of an inmate, who was not identified, pressing an emergency call button in his cell for 45 minutes before receiving attention for a heart problem.

It took three hours for a doctor to arrive and for the prisoner to be taken to the prison hospital, and another five days before the prisoner received his first dose of medication prescribed by a cardiologist.

A simple way to save the lives of cab drivers?

Local blog "Toellner Tells It" has a post about a simple, clever way that Canadian cab companies protect their drivers ...

UPDATE: Westboro Baptist plans to picket beheading victim's funeral

Only they didn't.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, You're A Mean Drunk R2D2!

Canada gives the boot to Westboro Baptist

The church group, which was planning to protest the funeral of the Greyhound beheading victim, got stopped at the border after several Canadians contacted the government. WBC spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper wasn't particularly worried though:

"They won't let us in, but we have a group that will cross in another spot," she said. "They'll have to strip search everyone who crosses that border or they won't know who we are. They'll have to see the WBC (Westboro Baptist Church) tattoo on our butts."

Hat Tip: Many thanks, You're A Mean Drunk R2D2!

Report: Westboro Baptist members fail to post bond

Recently, the church lost a lawsuit filed by the father of a dead Marine, whose funeral was picketed by Westboro Baptist. The judgment was set at $5 million, and though the church is appealing, two church members were required to post bonds of $125K and $100K -- amounts that, they argued, were too high. From The AP:

Phelps-Roper confirmed her refusal to obey Bennett's order granting a stay and discounted that part of the proceedings. "All this collection stuff, it's a lot of fluffy talk," she said. "If I don't have no $5 million, you can't take no $5 million."

... Summers (the plaintiffs attorney) said he will file a motion with Bennett to execute on the sisters' property -- houses and small bank accounts, according to their submissions to the court. But until Bennett rules on that motion and the Richmond appellate court rules on the appeal of Bennett's original ruling on the motion to stay, that property will remain safe.

"It's not going to happen immediately," Summers said. "The wheels of justice turn, but they turn slow."

           

'A curse on Maryland' -- New low for Fred Phelps?

UPDATE: The Phelps gang did not show up to the first teen's funeral. No word yet on whether they showed for the second, which was supposed to be at 2 p.m. today.

Fred Phelps and Co. this week were planning to protest the funerals of two Maryland teens killed in a horrible crash.

As usual, Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church has an excellent reason with well-connected logic -- The teens died "because God put a curse on Maryland." Tragedies are happening there because God is angry with the state, which upheld a lawsuit against Phelps' group after it picketed a soldier's funeral. 

"It makes no sense," said the mother of one of the teens. "I can't believe they'd choose to [demonstrate at] the funeral of a child."

No, it doesn't. And, believe it.

Police were girding for crowds and said protesters would be given a designated place to stand.

Hat tip: Thanks, kmb!

| Sara Shepherd

File photo from October of Phelps family members outside the federal courthouse in Baltimore.

"No worries, mate, it's all well"

That's according to Shirley Phelps-Roper of Westboro Baptist Church -- despite a judge's decision to place liens on property belonging to the church and its originator, Fred Phelps. Shirley and one of her sisters have also been ordered to post bonds $125K and $100K -- money they say they don't have.

Which, BTW, is something the plaintiff's attorney disputes. Otherwise, how are Westboro members able to travel to funerals across the country? (My theory -- some form of teleportation.)

The church is on the hook for $5 million, after they lost an emotional distress lawsuit filed by the father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by the church. The church building is worth about $442K, and a family-owned office building was valued at $232K. Snip:

Phelps-Roper would not reveal her next legal move but hinted that it would be impossible to raise $125,000. Failing a reversal of the judge’s ruling on appeal, she said God will deliver her and her church.

Photo by Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun, via The AP.

Kansas has a law limiting funeral protests ... AGAIN

The governor just signed the new law today after the legislature rushed it through. The previous funeral-protest law had a stipulation that it wouldn't take effect until the Kansas Supremes or a federal court OK'd it.

Instead, the Kansas Supremes said the "trigger" itself was unconstitutional.

The law's pretty obviously aimed at Westboro Baptist, which says its protest already meet most of the stipulations. But a lawsuit might still be in the offing. From the AP:

Phelps-Roper said the legislation defines funerals to include processions, which she called a "floating bubble" the church might challenge in court.

"If there is floating bubble, you can be charged with a crime because you are standing on a corner nowhere near a funeral and a procession goes by you," she said. "We might have to challenge that, sorry."

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Tam!

It's only funny when it happens to somebody else, right Fred?

Protesters march against Westboro Baptist Church, WDAF reports. I think the best quote was, "The absolute hardest part about being Christian is loving Fred Phelps."

Here's more from the Cap-Journal. Also? Westboro Baptist responds on their official blog. Be warned, there's some bad language, but the church is actually thrilled about the march ... something about God hating America and wanting to destroy the world and how the march helps that happen. But I'm not a Bible scholar, so I might be missing the finer points.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

If at first you don't succeed ...

The Kansas Legislature has passed another bill that would limit funeral protests, only without a judicial trigger. (The state passed a similar bill, but it was knocked down because it would only take effect if a state or federal court ruled it constitutional.)

The new bill, which was introduced March 11, is on its way to the governor now ...

Maybe God really does love Fred Phelps ...

From David Klepper:

The Kansas Supreme Court today declared the state’s funeral picketing ban invalid, citing legislative legal maneuvering as the reason.

The decision nullifies the law passed by the Legislature last year – and not yet implemented – designed to rein in a Topeka church that protests the funerals of fallen soldiers and others across the country.

Fearing the church could win a legal challenge against the law, lawmakers inserted a so-called “trigger” provision designed to test the law’s validity before it could be implemented.

... But the court ruled that the trigger itself was unconstitutional, violating the seperation of powers by making the court a type of advisory panel to the Legislature.

Judge wants report on Westboro Baptist's finances

The church was ordered to pay $5 million after it lost a civil suit brought by the father of a dead Marine. (The church protested the young man's funeral.) Now the judge wants a list of the church's assets and holdings. Westboro says it doesn't have $5 million, AP reports.

Judge knocks down Westboro Baptist damages

This is from the time Westboro protested a Marine's funeral near Baltimore. The Marine's dad sued for emotional distress and invasion of privacy, and he won. From The AP:

The decision by U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett means the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church and three of its members must pay total compensatory and punitive damages of $5 million for emotional distress and invasion of privacy. The original jury award was $10.9 million.

Westboro, of course, has a motion to overturn the verdict completely.

Even Fred Phelps

Earlier today, Westboro Baptist protested the funeral of John McDonald, who was killed in the Omaha mall shooting. But a group of counterprotesters were across the street. If you can't see their sign, it reads, "God loves everyone ... even Fred Phelps!"

Photo via The AP by Charles Rex Arbogast

Westboro Baptist Church wins injunction

Westboro Baptist wanted an injunction against Missouri's funeral-protest law, saying its language is too vague. A district court turned down the request, but a Missouri appeals court has given it an OK, the Capital-Journal reports.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, x-raygal!