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Current Events => Breaking News => Topic started by: TheSarge on March 11, 2008, 06:59:04 PM

Title: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: TheSarge on March 11, 2008, 06:59:04 PM
TOPEKA, Kan.  —  The Kansas Supreme Court effectively ended a law banning picketing at funerals, ruling Tuesday that it was unconstitutional for legislators to require a court to uphold the law before it could be enforced.

That "judicial trigger" was intended to prevent the Westboro Baptist Church from collecting damages from the state after a successful appeal of the law.

The law was passed in response to the sect's picketing of military funerals; the Rev. Fred Phelps and his followers claim U.S. combat deaths are God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

Ruling on a law before it can be enforced usurps power from the Legislature, Justice Marla J. Luckert wrote in the unanimous ruling.

"Courts do not have jurisdiction over purely hypothetical questions associated with nonexistent issues," she wrote.

The court did not address the merits of the 2007 law, which bars protesters from being within 150 feet of a funeral one hour before, during or two hours after a service ends. It also makes it unlawful to obstruct any public street or sidewalk.

The law also allows families to sue if they feel protesters defamed the dead. That single provision survives after the court's ruling.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336934,00.html
 

:banghead:


Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Chris_ on March 11, 2008, 07:02:14 PM
DAMMIT!  :banghead:
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: DixieBelle on March 11, 2008, 07:29:49 PM
So now they have to wait until it happens and then try to bring it before the courts??

Oy vey!
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Duke Nukum on March 11, 2008, 07:46:06 PM
It seems like the legislators screwed up on this one by requiring the courts to approve the law.
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Lord Undies on March 11, 2008, 07:51:08 PM
The Supreme Court is right.  It ruled the way it had to in order to be consistent with previous rulings.  You cannot put the cart before the horse. 

The court ruling made no note about the validity of the legislation.  In fact, it was smart not to do so.  The original law is good and will hold up when properly presented to the court.  The US Supreme Court has already held that reasonable protest restrictions are constitutional, so it won't be a problem.
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: NHSparky on March 11, 2008, 09:23:15 PM
[New York City accent]Aw, gee--Mistah Phelps had to go an have a real UNFORTUNATE accident?  Damn, dat's just a shame.[/NYC accent]
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: BlueStateSaint on March 12, 2008, 07:53:02 AM
[New York City accent]Aw, gee--Mistah Phelps had to go an have a real UNFORTUNATE accident?  Damn, dat's just a shame.[/NYC accent]

Maybe he could be set up with a girl from "The Emperor's Club" . . .
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: NHSparky on March 12, 2008, 07:59:48 AM
[New York City accent]Aw, gee--Mistah Phelps had to go an have a real UNFORTUNATE accident?  Damn, dat's just a shame.[/NYC accent]

Maybe he could be set up with a girl from "The Emperor's Club" . . .

Something tells me his hatred of gays comes from the fact he's a latent homosexual himself.
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Toastedturningtidelegs on March 12, 2008, 08:11:07 AM
[New York City accent]Aw, gee--Mistah Phelps had to go an have a real UNFORTUNATE accident?  Damn, dat's just a shame.[/NYC accent]

Maybe he could be set up with a girl from "The Emperor's Club" . . .

Something tells me his hatred of gays comes from the fact he's a latent homosexual himself.
Yep! I think that too!
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Ptarmigan on March 12, 2008, 11:24:28 AM
Something tells me his hatred of gays comes from the fact he's a latent homosexual himself.

I was thinking that too. I read from defectors of WBC that Fred Phelps is not a religious person and he is addicted to hate. I suspect WBC is a front group for his law firm to extort people.
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Airwolf on March 12, 2008, 03:07:35 PM
I have a feeling that one of these days old fred is going to have made one to many trips to a funeral and something bad might happen. People are already wound up with emotions at a time like that and it's the last place anyone should be tempting fate by protesting the actions of a loved one.

In Nebraska they already hauled one of his daughters in front of the court for violation of the states flag desecration law and she  didn't think she would get hammered for it. To bad for her she was wrong.   
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Lord Undies on March 12, 2008, 03:25:46 PM
I have a feeling that one of these days old fred is going to have made one to many trips to a funeral and something bad might happen. People are already wound up with emotions at a time like that and it's the last place anyone should be tempting fate by protesting the actions of a loved one.

In Nebraska they already hauled one of his daughters in front of the court for violation of the states flag desecration law and she  didn't think she would get hammered for it. To bad for her she was wrong.   

I look for Phelps to be shot dead in the middle of a crowd and no one saw a thing.
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Airwolf on March 12, 2008, 04:24:21 PM
I have a feeling that one of these days old fred is going to have made one to many trips to a funeral and something bad might happen. People are already wound up with emotions at a time like that and it's the last place anyone should be tempting fate by protesting the actions of a loved one.

In Nebraska they already hauled one of his daughters in front of the court for violation of the states flag desecration law and she  didn't think she would get hammered for it. To bad for her she was wrong.   

I look for Phelps to be shot dead in the middle of a crowd and no one saw a thing.

You mean like the "Lone gunman on the grassy knoll " kind of thing?
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Lord Undies on March 12, 2008, 04:27:58 PM
I have a feeling that one of these days old fred is going to have made one to many trips to a funeral and something bad might happen. People are already wound up with emotions at a time like that and it's the last place anyone should be tempting fate by protesting the actions of a loved one.

In Nebraska they already hauled one of his daughters in front of the court for violation of the states flag desecration law and she  didn't think she would get hammered for it. To bad for her she was wrong.   

I look for Phelps to be shot dead in the middle of a crowd and no one saw a thing.


You mean like the "Lone gunman on the grassy knoll " kind of thing?

More like this:  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21971
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: RedTail on March 12, 2008, 08:45:13 PM
I remember the Big Rex story. . .you've gotta be one serious jackass for you to be killed in a CROWD with no one seeing a DAMN thing.

*TKay*
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Lord Undies on March 12, 2008, 08:49:17 PM
I remember the Big Rex story. . .you've gotta be one serious jackass for you to be killed in a CROWD with no one seeing a DAMN thing.

*TKay*

Not even his wife, who was sitting next to him.  Poor woman.  She was free at last!
Title: Re: Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Funeral Picketing Law
Post by: Airwolf on March 13, 2008, 02:47:19 PM
I remember when that happened. If nothing else, he served as a good example about why you shouldn't go around acting like a prick. Are you hearing us Fred?