>> that is albert snyder, the father of marine lance corporal matthew snyder, who was killed in iraq and 2006. the funeral was started by members of a small topeka, kansas baptist church who claim that the deaths of the soldiers and marines and others in combat is god's punishment for whom such quality. -- for homosexuality. a baltimore jury are awarded him $10 million, a judge could have, -- cut it in half, and it went to the supreme court. what were the arguments like? >> it was interesting. you could see the justices will struggling with this. some of them were clearly looking for a way out, for an exception for a funeral or to deal with the kind of society we live in where you can harass people on the internet with your posting, the unbelievable things that get published.

they demonstrated 1,000 feet from the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyder.hey chose the site to maximize publicity for their cause and posted video of the event on line. the court of public opinion is not on their side. >> i think their message is horrible. >> you have the right for freedom of speech, but there is also a decency line that has been well tread upon. >> the question before the high court is whether the first amendment protects the protesters against civil claims. $5thews' father won a million suit against the church, but it was overturned. >> there is a civilized way to express an opinion in america but it does not involve intentionally inflicting emotional distress on others, intentionally harming a private citizen at a private funeral. it is not the constitutional right. >> justice ginsburg questioned whether the protests singled out snider or was a comment on the whole society. scalia and bryer were unsettled by the online potestas -- online posting. justice of the maya are -- sotomayor talked about case history. meyer talked about setting a

. >> that is albert snyder, father of marine lance corporal matthew snyder, killed in iraq in 2006. the fuel was the target of members of a small topeka, -- the funeral was the target of members of a small to become a kansas church, claiming that the death of soldiers is god's punishment for homosexuality. he sued and a baltimore jury awarded $10 million and a judge cut that in half. it went to the supreme court. what were the arguments like? >> you could see the justices really struggling with this. some of them were clearly looking for a way out, to carve an exception for a funeral or to deal with the kind of society we live in now where you can harass people on the internet with your posting, saying unbelievable things that get published wider than they ever did before. but this is a very difficult thing to draw this kind of line, and you could see this in the argument. >> we saw this in the skokie, illinois case -- >> i don't think you can apply a standard of decency to any kind of political speech, because once you do, you have really changed something fundamentally in the coun

in 2006 they professed outside the funeral of lance corporal matthew snyder killed in iraq.r sued claiming the church violated his family's privacy and inflicted severe emotional distress. a jury awarded him millions. a federal appeals court reversed that decision saying the protesters were protected by the first amendment. dorothy, think we can agree these protesters are despicable. why isn't their speech protected by the first amendment? >> that is the question i don't think it is. we are now in a position, this is about the fifth case of this sort in memory. we won't go into all of them. we are faced with an increasing proof that we are shackled by blind obedience by purists in defense of the first amendment in which you are constantly confronted with. here's the slippery slope if we low this free speech where will it take us? the first was not intended to shackle us to the most bizarre. now we are facing defense of the rights of terrorists to use the first amendment for all of the most nefarious causes. we have the supreme court allowing porn video with small animals but

marines ended in iraq's al anbar province for lance corporal matthew snyder, his family gathered for his funeral at this maryland church. but they had some unwanted company, protestors with signs that said "thank god for dead soldiers." and "god hates you." fred phelps of the tiny westboro baptist church shows up at military funerals to claim that because the nation tolerates gay rights, u.s. war deaths are god's punishment. >> i pray for them, dear lord, to please kill more of them guys. they don't seem to have gotten the message. these idiots are still talking about patriotism. >> reporter: their message at the funeral outraged corporal snyder's father, albert, who sued for emotional distress over the protest and a diatribe phelps put on line saying snyder raised his son for the devil. >> speaking as a father, the phelps' conduct was so extreme, it went beyond all possible bounds of basic human decency. >> reporter: but phelps' daughter, who is also his lawyer told the supreme court today that funerals are public events, open to protests. >> the mere fact that you call yourself hav

. >> ier's son lance corporal matthew snyder killed in iraq in 2006. >> it's something no family should have to live through. >> at the end of the day, the ish is not going to be -- the issue is not going to be how obnoxious and repug nan the speech with a by the people from the church. issue is going to be whether or not they have a right to outer that speech under circumstances such as this. >> the court is not expected to render a decision until the spring. question of protected speech purred media organization into action at least 21 different media outlets have filed briefs siding with the protesters them the say the demonstrations are distasteful but they are protected by free speech. >>> 6:47 right now. all new this morning, we have a 16-year-old and her boyfriend behind bars accused of plotting to kill the girl's family. this happened in northern dorchester county in hurlock. police were called to the house after 16-year-old william collins walked in and started shooting. no one was hurt. . >>i can't undertanned why two young 16 yearlys for any reason would want to do this to an

it started four years ago when snyder's son marine lance corporal matthew snyder was killed in iraq. members of the westboro baptist church protested holding signs that read god hates you and you are in hell. the found irof the church travels around the country protesting military funerals. he believes soldiers are dying as a punishment from god for defending the nation that accepts homosexuality. after the funeral, snyder sued the church for harassment and a judge in baltimore award him $11 million. late an appeals court ruled the protest were protected by the first amendment and the case pitting free speech against the right to privacy. >> it isolated every day. when i walk past my son's picture, i have to remember how i was robbed. >> reporter: members of the westboro baptist church r expected to protest outside the supreme court today. the court is expected to issue the ruling on the case sometime next spring. >>> in the studio, linda so, abc2 news. >>> 50 degrees and it's 5:47 right now. today, it's walk to school day. it's an idea being promoted as way to help fight childhood o

well, they did it at lance corporal matthew snyder's funeral and his father sued. he won.appeals court overturned it and now they're at the supreme court. the marine's father said that the protests not only took a toll on his health but ruined his only chance to bury his son in peace. >> it's a funeral for god sakes. they turned it into a circus, a three-ring circus. these people are terrorists. they terrorize innocent families. >> reporter: so what this case today will do is pit the first amendment right to free speech against freedom of religion and they'll also have to consider whether there is a difference in protesting a public versus a private citizen. >> thank you very much, tracie. >>> new this morning, a new poll shows some surprising attitudes on when people think it's okay to be plugged in. we've all seen the twitter updates from the bride and fwroom groom on their honeymoon or pictures on facebook. eric kline of pc tools joins me in the studio this morning. thank you for coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> i think this is something everybody has noticed is t

snyder sued after protesters from westboro church in kansas disrupted a funeral for his son lance corporal matthew snyder on a -- who was killed in iraq. supreme court wrestle with to call out a funeral exception. justice soto meyer challenge the argument that the funerals are private and war protesters that disrupted the funeral could be sued. she wanted to know under what theory of the first amendment would we do that? meanwhile, justice ginsberg asked the church lawyer why should the first amendment tolerate exploiting a family when you have other forums for getting your message across? >> there's something no family should have to live through. >> every death is a god hand and he is just getting warmed up. >> reporter: now at least 21 media organizations filed briefs siding with protesters saying the demonstrations are distasteful but protected speech. sherrie johnson, abk2 news -- abc, 2 news. >>> two minutes after 6:00a16-year-old and her boyfriend are behind bars accused of plotting to kill the girl's entire family. this happened in northern dorchester county. police were called to the house after

it started four years ago when snyder's son marine lance corporal matthew snyder, was killed in iraq.embers of the westboro baptist church protested at his funeral holding signs that read god hates you and you are in hell. the founder of the church travels around the country protesting military funerals. he believes soldiers are dying as a punishment for god for depending the nation that accepts homosexuality. after the funeral, snyder sued the church for harassment and a federal judge in baltimore award him $11 million but later in the appeals court ruled the protests were protected by the first amendment. the landmark case pitting free speech against the right to privacy. >> my son died for free speech. he didn't die for someone to abuse and mistreat and spit on the first amendment. >> reporter: -- amendment. >> reporter: members of westboro are expected to protest outside the supreme court. the court is expected toish ute ruling next spring. linda so, abc2 news. >>> well it's hard not to get fired up about this and many of you have. if you have an opinion we want to know what you t

of the tiny westboro baptist church of topeka, kansas, picketed the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyder, who was killed in iraq. he was 20 years old. >> i am sorry they raise their sons for the devil in hell. >> reporter: fred phelps founded the church, it's got about 60 members, most related to him and they preach and proclaim a dark message -- god is killing american troops because the country tolerates homosexuality, abortion and many other matters. matthew synder wasn't gay and it was all too much for his father, albert synder. >> all we wanted to do was bury matt with dignity and respect. >> reporter: so he sued the church. today, the supreme court wrestled with whether to carve out a kind of funeral exception for the first amendment. justice sonia sotomayor challenged the argument that because funerals are private, and that they aren't public figures so the war protesters that disrupted their funeral can be sued. so public speech, she said, speech on a public matter, if directed to a private person, should be treated differently under the law. under what theory of the first amendm

of the tiny westboro baptist church of topeka, kansas, picketed the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyderwho was killed in iraq. he was 20 years old. >> i'm sorry that they raised their son for the devil in hell. >> reporter: fred phelps founded the church. it's got about 60 members, most of them related to him. and he and they preach and proclaim a dark message. god is killing american troops because the country tolerates homosexuality, abortion and many other matters. matthew synder wasn't gay and it was all too much for his father, albert synder. >> all we wanted to do was bury matt with dignity and respect. >> reporter: so, he sued the church. today, the supreme court wrestled with whether to carve out a kind of funeral exception for the first amendment. justice sonia sotomayor challenged the synder family's argument that funerals are private, and they aren't public figures. so, the war protesters that disrupted their funeral can be sued. so, public speech, she said, speech on a public matter, if directed to a private person, should be treated differently under the law? under what the

it started four years ago when snyder's son marine lance corporal matthew snyder, with a killed in iraq. members of the westboro baptist church protested at his funeral holding signs that said god hates you and you are in hell. fred phelps travels around the country protesting military funerals and believes soldiers are dying as a punishment from god for defending the nation that accepts homosexuality. >> you know what, american people are not buying it. they know that this cross is -- crosses the line of free speech. and i just hope the justices see that. >> reporter: members of westboro are expected to protest outside the supreme court today. the court is expected to issue the ruling on the case sometime next spring. in the studio, linda so abc2 news. >> it's hard not to get fired up over the issue. so we have opened up our facebook fan page. we want to know what you think. we posted the story on facebook and want you to share your comments and you may see them here on the air. we have gotten a lot of responses since we have been on the air since five. so head to the facebook fan page

sued after protestors from the church in kansas demonstrated at a funeral for his son, lance corporal matthew snydernd gentlemen, but you are getting your -- handed to you for your sins. >> reporter: lines snaked around the marbled walls of the high court. inside, members of the church led by pastor phelps said they have a first amendment right to demonstrate against troops they say died to protect abortion and gay rights. >> every death is at god's hand. he is just getting warmed up. ♪ you are going straight to hell on your crazy train ♪ >> reporter: snyder lost his case in lower court and was forced to pay phelps and his followers $16,000. that outraged many including fox news host bill o'reilly who called in to "good morning america" offering to pay the coasts. >> there is no doubt a crime was committed here. there is no doubt that these people went out of their way to hurt fellow americans. >> reporter: whether a crime or free speech is what the court will decide. 21 media organizations filed briefs siding with the protestors and they demonstrations are distasteful but are protected speech. vini

kansas-based church protested across the street from a funeral of a marine killed in iraq, lance corporal matthew snyderelieve that soldiers are being killed in afghanistan because god is punishing america for tolerating homosexuality. snyder wasn't gay but members of this church have been tar getting the funerals of all soldiers not just gay soldiers and his father says the protesters are clearly in the wrong and he sued the church for causing him extreme emotional distress and a baltimore jury awarded him $5 million in damages but an appeals court overturned the ruling citing freedom of speech. >> most speech will offend somebody, and we just need to be able to protect them that. we can't have rules that make speech illegal or subject to incredible penalties just because it offends people. >> snyder's attorney doesn't think this is a freedom of speech issue. he believes it is a matter of whether an individual can sue for the infliction of emotional pain and invasion of privacy. the crux of the question that the supreme court justices are going to have to decide is are these protesters protected by the

baptist church protested across the street from a funeral of a marine killed in iraq, lance corporal matthew snyder. these people believe that u.s. soldiers are being killed because god is punishing america for tolerating homosexuality. they carried picket signs at his funeral that read thank god for dead soldiers. his father says the protesters were clearly in the wrong. >> my son and hundreds of thousands of other men and women have died to protect freedom of speech. and to have a group of 80 people degrade it and mock it is disdust -- face gusting. >>> to so al snyder sued the church for causing him extreme emotional distress and then a baltimore jury awarded him $5 million in damages, but an appeals court later overturned the ruling, citing freedom of speech and now that case is right here at the highest court in the country. the u.s. supreme court and the opening arguments will begin at 10:00 today. >> kristin i at some funerals we have seen opponents of the church taking matters in to their own hands. what have they been doing? well, jessica, it is actually an incident that happened right her

. >> reporter: outside the supreme court, the scene looked much like lance corporal matthew snyder's funeral did. members of the westboro baptist church holding signs. pray for more dead ki. thank god for ieds. inside it was up to the nine justices to determine whether the protests of the 2006 funeral was free seech as attorney and church member margie argued. >> the rule of law is the mere fact that you take offenseat words or have your elings hurt over words is not enough to shut up the speech. >> reporter: or if those words are intentionally inflicking emotional distress and not protected speech. >> when you specifically identify the snyder family by name. not innuendo. by name. that is targeted harassment. >> all we wanted to do was bury matt with digzmit respect. >> reporter: the kansas state church has protested at hundred of military funerals. the message, that god is pun usualing soldiers for the country's tolerance of homosexuals. the court awarded the family millions. only to be reversed on first amendment grounds by a higher court. so for an hour, the justices asked tough

. >> reporter: marine lance corporal matthew snyder was killed in iraq in 2006. the phelps traveled to maryland to protest at his funeral. they brought signs that read "thank god for dead soldiers," "you're going to hell," and others with strong anti-gay language. corporal snyder's father, albert, sued the phelpses for intentionally inflicting emotional distress. we spoke with snyder and his attorney, sean summers. >> the phelps targeted me and my family by name, and they took away the last chance i had to bury my son. the only chance i had to bury matt. >> reporter: today, margie phelps defended her family before the court. >> the rule of law that is implicated whenever someone steps up and says "your words upset me," it's a long-standing- - i mean, well over 100 years in jurisprudence of this nation-- is that the court will not allow the use of an inherently subjective standard like outrage like offense, like annoyance to punish speech when the only thing you are claiming is an adverse emotional impact. >> reporter: 21 media organizations, including the "new yo

in 2006, members picketed the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyder who dyed serving in iraq not gay. >> the worst thing in our fight now is the anger with the phelps for taking away that last moment that man was here on the earth. >> reporter: matthew's father albert sued and won $5 million in damages. but a federal appeals court overturned the ruling on first amendment grounds. while the protests are distasteful, phelps' position is supported by the american civil liberties union and media. >> we can't have multi-million dollar judgments anytime somebody is offended even if that offense is legitimate. >> reporter: for snyder no amount of money or court decision to give him what he wants most. >> somebody said me to, $5 million i bet you give it up to have matt back. i would give it up just to say good-bye. >> reporter: the church is showing no signs of backing down. members plan on holding another protest this morning at arlington national cemetery. preeti arla for cbs news, washington. >>> 5:40 now. just one day away from the giants' first play-off game in years, and they

lance corporal matthew snyder was killed in iraq. father albert sued for emotional distress and the judgment was overturned in the federal appeals court. joining us is albert snyder and his attorney summers. what is the main point you are trying to get across to the justices. you know they are skeptical of the free speech issue here. >> bill, from our perspective, it's very simple. personalized target attacks at a private individual should not be sanctioned under the guise of the first amendment and you should not be allowed to exploit the snyder family's grief for your own personal gain and hijack their one and only opportunity to bury their son. >> bill: what was the personal gain though of the westboro crew? i mean, they wanted to get their vile message publicized. is that what you are talking about? >> that is their gain. no one would listen to them if they were in a public park or tehran dom corner somewhere. so the only way they can command an audience is by hijacking somebody else's private event and in this case a funeral. >>

church, not related to the american baptist church, interrupted the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyderin iraq. the family sued the protesters 1 million. the verdict was overturned on appeal. i say the supreme court should reinstate the jury verdict. beck disagrees. i spoke with him last night. here is beck and he and i disagree on this westboro snyder case on the supreme court. >> no. actually, we do but we don't in principle. >> bill: i know that in spirit, everybody knows that these westboro people -- >> -- despicable. >> bill: vile people. freedom of speech issue. let's walk through it in a very simple way because both you and i are simple men. and the question is. >> you just called me a simpleton? >> which one is simpler. that is a tough call. >> it is. >> bill: do you believe in the civil right of privacy? >> yes. >> bill: okay. so you believe in privacy but you don't believe in the action of intentional infliction of emotional distress? >> no. i believe that -- look, if you are coming into the church in a private ceremony, you have no reason to be there. if you are, let's say, a

. >> in 2006, lance corporal matthew snyder died in an accident while serving in iraq.ine's grieving family was met with a demonstration like this one. >> god is your enemy! >> fred and his followers from the westboro baptist church travel around the nation staging protests at military funerals. they believe that american soldiers are defending a sinful nation that tolerating homosexu homosexu homosexual -- homosexuality. >> they held signs that said god hates you, you're in hell. >> later he and his church arguing that their protest was a violation of the family's privacy and inflicted emotional damage. an appeals court ruled the protests were protected by the first amendment. now it is up to the supreme court to decide what wins: privacy or free speech? >> a very important question in how much protection do relatively private figures have against hurtful, outrageous, insulting, aggravated speech. >> he has been defiantly uncooperative in the past. >> some come with the least sympathetic. >> congress could step in and pass a law restricting where protests take place wi

church, not related to the american baptist church, interrupted the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyderled in iraq. the family sued the protesters 1 million. the verdict was overturned on appeal. i say the supreme court should reinstate the jury verdict. beck disagrees. i spoke with him last night. here is beck and he and i disagree on this westboro snyder case on the supreme court. >> no. actually, we do but we don't in principle. >> bill: i know that in spirit, everybody knows that these westboro people -- >> -- despicable. >> bill: vile people. freedom of speech issue. let's walk through it in a very simple way because both you and i are simple men. and the question is. >> you just called me a simpleton? >> which one is simpler. that is a tough call. >> it is. >> bill: do you believe in the civil right of privacy? >> yes. >> bill: okay. so you believe in privacy but you don't believe in the action of intentional infliction of emotional distress? >> no. i believe that -- look, if you are coming into the church in a private ceremony, you have no reason to be there. if you are, let's sa

you may recall the outrage as it followed the 2006 funeral of lance corporal matthew snyder, who was killed in roque. his funeral in westminster was interrupted by a group from the westborough baptist church, who claim all u.s. war deaths are god's punishment for the military's tolerance of gay service members. and that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. which case would you like the u.s. supreme court to resolve this term? email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. switching gears now, while brute strength is important when you're dragging a humvee, mat reason corps is invest nag program to strengthen both mind and body. >> it's relying on centuries old fighting techniques to prepare marines to handle unexpected challenges in combat and beyond. alicia dean has that story. >> tools of the trade for teaching a new generation of recruits. >> there is a difference in the marines of today and the marines of past generations. they are much more technologically advanced, computer-savvy, you know, video games, those kind of things where older generations such as myself,

you may recall the outrage that followed the 2006 funeral of lance corporal matthew snyder, who died in iraq. his funeral in westminster was interrupted by a group from the westborough baptist church, who claim all u.s. war deaths are god's punishment for the military's tolerance of gay service members. >> we had to have a swat team. there were ambulances. there were fire engines. there was a command central set up, and a win beg owe. they turned it into a circus. >> the supreme court begins a new term later this morning with its newest justice, elena kagan. however, kagan has reculesed herself from several cases in which case a tied vote by the remaining eight justices would automatically uphold the decision of the lower court. and that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. which case would you like the supreme court to resolve this term? email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. the time now, 5:37, 50 degrees on tv hill. 11 sports' keith mills will join us with what the ravens' big win against the steelers means to quarterback joe flacco. plus, the birds look to s

the group staged a demonstration at the 2006 funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyder.y says the members of the tea party movement tend to be christian conservatives and not libertarians. we'll go deeper into that survey with the lead author. e can last. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. we need directions to go to... pearblossom highway? it's just outside of lancaster. sure, i can download directions for you now. we got it. thank you very much! check it out. i can like, see everything that's going on with the car. here's the gas level. i can check on the oil. i can unlock it from anywhere. i've received a signal there was a crash. some guy just cut me off. i'll get an ambulance to you right away. safely connecting you in ways you never thought possible. onstar. live on. >>> time now for our political update. our senior political correspondent mark preston is it at the desk in washington. >> there's been a lot of talk abo

. >> reporter: in 2006 lance corporal matthew snyder died in an accident while serving in iraq. ♪ ateral the marine's grieving family was met by demonstrators with signs that said "america's doomed," "you're going to hell," squ & "thank god for dead soldiers." fred phelps and his followers from the westboro baptist church in kansas travel across the nation staging protests at military funerals. phelps and his small congregation believe that american soldiers are defending a sinful nation, one that tolerates homosexuality. >> it was just a nightmare. they positioned themselves about 30 feet from the main entrance of the church, and they held signs that said "god hates you," "you're in hell," "semper fi fags." >> reporter: snyder sued the pastor arguing his protest was a violation of the family's privacy and that it inflicted emotional damage. an appeals court ruled that the protests were protected by the first amendment. now it's up to the supreme court to decide what wins, privacy or free speech. >> it does raise this very important question, namely, how much protection do relatively

you can imagine, you'd lose your son, 20-year-old lance corporal in the marines, matthew snyder.ied in 2006. protesters show up like that with signs outside the funeral. al said it was like being kicked in the gut. they sued a. lower court awarded the family $5 million and that was overturned by an appeals court which is now it's before the supreme court of the united states. it is a very important case pitting family privacy against freedom of speech and it seems to be that the supreme court is wanting to come down on the side of the family and may have their hands dtied. route bader ginsburg said nothing the church members appeared to be illegal and said this of the church. why should the first amendment tolerate exploiting this bereaved family when you have so many other forums for getting across your message? and i said to al snyder this morning, okay, it might have been very, very offensive. was it legal? here's what he told me. >> it might not have been illegal but it did cause emotional stress and emotional damage, and, you know, you have to look at this as tort law, too.

marine lance corporal michael snyder, matthew snyder was killed while serving his country in iraq.rial ceremony at the church, protesters held signs like these, they are despicable. the group says the deaths of u.s. soldiers in iraq and afghanistan is god's punishment for america's tolerance of homosexuality. matthew's father, albert snyder, took the protestors to court, he won, then a federal appeals court dismissed the case on first amendment grounds. today, the supreme court heard it. steve six is the kansas attorney general general. mr. snyder, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> what is your case as an american about the case that you have made that nobody should be allowed to go to the serviceman's funeral or just use it this way and abuse it? >> basically that's what it is, chris. i feel like in many military families that are along with me feel like this is a great abuse great abuse of free speech. nobody has the right to target an individual person for their benefit. that's basically what they do. they target funerals to get the publicity for it. >> they jus

marine lance corporal michael snyder, matthew snyder was killed while serving his country in iraq., protesters held signs like these, they are despicable. the group says the deaths of u.s. soldiers in iraq and afghanistan is god's punishment for america's tolerance of homosexuality. matthew's father, albert snyder, took the protestors to court, he won, then a federal appeals court dismissed the case on first amendment grounds. today, the supreme court heard it. steve six is the kansas attorney general general. mr. snyder, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> what is your case as an american about the case that you have made that nobody should be allowed to go to the serviceman's funeral or just use it this way and abuse it? >> basically that's what it is, chris. i feel like in many military families that are along with me do, they target funerals to get publicity for it. >> steve they just pick out anybody at random, basically and they say this person, to go after some tolerance of gay rights somewhere. it's a generalized assault but they pick out one person to do it