Jerry Brown backs family of California Marine suing funeral protesters

Kudos to O-Reilly, yes I know I said it!
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Jerry Brown backs family of California Marine suing funeral protesters: "

California Atty. Gen.
Jerry Brown has joined the case pending at the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf
of the family of a Marine from Twentynine Palms whose funeral
was picketed by an anti-gay group.

The family of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder sued members of the Kansas-based
Westboro Baptist Church for invasion of privacy and emotional distress after the group picketed Snyder's funeral in Westminster, Md. The group pickets military funerals out of a belief that soldiers' deaths are God's punishment for the U.S. promoting homosexuality.

Snyder, 20, was killed in Iraq on March 3, 2006.

A trial court awarded
$10.9 million to the family, reduced to $5 million by the judge.

But an appeals
court, citing the 1st Amendment, threw out the verdict and ordered the Snyder
family to pay legal costs of $16,500 to Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro church. (On behalf of the Snyder family, those costs were reportedly paid by Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly.)

The high court has announced it will hear the Snyder family’s
appeal.

Brown joined other state attorneys general in signing a friend-of-the-court brief.

"Free speech is a cherished American right," Brown
said in a statement today, "but disrupting a private funeral with vicious
personal attacks on the grieving family goes too far."

Snyder was
assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 7 at Twentynine Palms as a generator mechanic.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Marine Cpl. Matthew Snyder. Credit: Marine Corps

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