A law that would have banned people from protesting at funeral has been struck down in Michigan.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington ruled that the proposed law is “unconstitutional,” and would violate people’s First Amendment rights.
This comes in light of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church funeral protests. The protestors believe that God is punishing America for allowing homosexuals to serve in the military. The group was reportedly planning on protesting at the funeral of Michigan’s Cpl. Todd Motley, who was killed in Iraq.
The ACLU is calling the ruling a “victory,” after they filed a lawsuit in 2009 on behalf of a veteran and his wife who were allegedly arrested during a funeral procession for having bumper stickers against then President Bush on their van. “Although the statute was designed to keep the controversial Westboro Baptist Church out of Michigan, it was ultimately used to disrupt a peaceful funeral and arrest innocent mourners whose privacy the statute was designed to protect,” said Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney in a written statement. ”Today’s ruling serves as a reminder that innocent people suffer when our legislators pass overly broad laws that give police officers unchecked power to arrest people who express unpopular views.”
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