WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback joined a bipartisan group of Senators in filing an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Snyder family in the case of Snyder v. Phelps (No. 09-751).

The Snyder family sued following a disturbing demonstration at the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder, who was killed in Iraq in 2006 in the line of duty. While the Snyder family won in a lower court, the decision was overturned at the appellate level.

“The family and friends of those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice to our nation deserve to mourn their loved ones peacefully, privately and free from disruption,” Senator Roberts said. “My thoughts and prayers are with the Snyder family and the other families that have experienced similar egregious displays on what should be the most solemn of days. From this Marine, Semper Fi.”

Senator Brownback said, “Fallen service members’ families should be allowed to peacefully lay to rest their loved ones. As a nation, we just observed Memorial Day to give thanks and honor the sacrifice of soldiers like Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder; it is very upsetting to think of a service member’s funeral being disrupted by disrespectful protestors.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed the brief today with the following three arguments:

1. private funerals have long been accorded special protection by American law;

2. state and federal statutes, including the Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act, demonstrate the strong governmental interest in protecting private family funerals from disruption;

3. and the state’s interest in protecting an individual’s privacy at a peaceful private funeral outweighs the First Amendment interest in protecting the hateful speech and conduct at issue in this case.

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