He speaks of members of a small Kansas church who have gained nationwide attention for protesting loudly at funerals of U.S. service members, denouncing homosexuality. Both sides will now receive a Supreme Court hearing over their competing constitutional rights. Oral arguments are Wednesday morning, with a final ruling some months away.  At issue is a balancing test between the privacy rights of grieving families and the free speech and religious expression rights of demonstrators, however disturbing and provocative their message. Several states have attempted to impose specific limits on when and where the protests are conducted. Here, venue and context will be key to the justices' decision -- whether funerals warrant a greater zone of privacy, and whether the "speech" in this case was specifically aimed at a private citizens like the Snyder family.  Matt Snyder always wanted to be a solider, his father said. His son enlisted just after high school, he said, and enjoyed the military life: "I think Matt wanted to be in a job where he could help people and serve that purpose."  The young lance corporal died from a non-combat-related vehicle accident in Anbar province on March 3, 2006, while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Albert Snyder called it the worst day of his life. The funeral was held at St. John Catholic Church in this northern Maryland town.  Two days before, members of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) had advertised its intent to appear and picket. That prompted a heavy police presence at the March 10 funeral, including a command center and SWAT team.
Matthew Snyder's funeral was to be a private affair, with family and friends gathering at a Catholic church to mourn the 20-year-old Marine who died a hero in Iraq, serving his country. But Matt's