Westboro Ban Ruled Unconstitutional

A federal judge has rejected Missouri's law barring groups like the Westboro Baptist Church from picketing at funerals for fallen military personnel.

Members of the Topeka, Kan.-based congregation carry signs such as "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "AIDS Cures Fags." The state legislature passed a law barring groups from protesting within 300 feet of a private service.

The U.S. Supreme Court, however, granted an injunction to block the law until it could be challenged in the federal courts. Judge Fernando Gaitan, in a 19-page order issued Monday, wrote that the ban violated free speech rights outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, according to CNN.