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Speech against the agony of a grieving father. terry moran has more on the debate. reporter: in march 2006. members of the tiny westboro baptist church picketed the funeral of marine lance corporal matthew snyder killed in iraq. he was 20 years old. i m sorry they raised their son for the devil in hell. reporter: fred phelps founded the church, 60 members, 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 snyder wasn t gay and it was all too much for his father, albert snyder. all we wanted to do was bury matt. with dignity and respect. reporter: he sued the church. the supreme court wrestled with whether to carve out a funeral exception to the first amendment. justice sonia sotomayor challenged to the argument that ....
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. vinita, rob? ....
Private. andrew young testified vast sums of money were spent keeping hunter in hiding. the supreme court is hearing testimony in one of the most highly charged cases to reach the court in years. involves the right of a fundamentalist church to protest at the funerals of dead soldiers. john hendren joins us from washington with the debate before the court. john? reporter: good morning. is it free speech or is it harassment, that is the question for the supreme court to decide and the stakes are high. for the first amendment and the be reeved families of slain troops. at issue whether free speech means protestors can disrupt funerals for military troops with chants. and offensive signs like these. al snyder calls that harassment. it is something no family should have to live through. reporter: snyder sued after protestors from the church in kansas demonstrated at a funeral for his son, lance corporal matthew snyder. don t look now, ladies and ....