Supreme Court Reiterates Role of First Amendment in Snyder v. Phelps
3/8/2011
In its recent decision in Snyder v. Phelps, Case No. 09-751 (U.S. 2010), the Supreme Court reiterated the role of the First Amendment in the realm of privacy. Deciding a case brought against Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church related to funeral protests in Maryland, the Court held that 1) a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress was barred by the First Amendment, 2) a claim for intrusion upon seclusion was barred because the protest did not interfere with the funeral, and 3) a claim for conspiracy was barred because the other tort claims had failed. Read more ...