Ohio's Anti-Funeral Picketing Law Largely Upheld

The Cleveland Plain Dealer today reports that an Ohio federal district court on Friday upheld key portions of Ohio's "Let Them Rest in Peace Act" (ORC 3767.30) that bans protests within 300 feet of a funeral from one hour before to one hour after the ceremony. The court held that the law protects people from unwanted communication, while allowing protesters to demonstrate elsewhere. The law is aimed at the Westboro Kansas Baptist Church whose members picket veterans' funerals around the country with signs claiming that God is killing American soldiers as punishment for "the sin of homosexuality." However the court struck down a provision of the law that creates a 300-foot floating buffer around a funeral procession. The AP reports that Westboro church members are still planning a funeral protest on Monday. Usually their protests are outside the 300-foot zone in order to get their message out near streets with heavy traffic.