Newswise — “First Amendment cheerleaders are lining up to hail the First Amendment right of Fred Phelps and his religious group to picket the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards with signs proclaiming that ‘God Hates Elizabeth Edwards.’ “
“In defense of this action, the Westboro Baptist Church declares on its website that Edwards was an arrogant witch who is now burning in hell with her son Wade who was killed in an automobile accident when he was sixteen.
“First Amendment law makes it clear that the Westboro Church can indulge in vicious lunacy on its website. But the First Amendment does not confer the right to speak anywhere at any time. To suppose that the right to spout hate in the media implies a right to inflict emotional distress on grieving mourners at a funeral is to endorse a heartless and foolish privileging of speech over privacy and dignity. We can honor our profound national commitment to robust debate without permitting any such assaults on the emotionally vulnerable.”
--Steven H. Shiffrin, First Amendment expert and Professor of Law at Cornell University
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