On March 3rd, 2006, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder was killed by an enemy explosive in Iraq. He was transported back to the United States for a traditional Christian burial at St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Maryland to be buried on March 10th later that year. Although Albert Snyder, his father and the plaintiff, had requested a private funeral, it was still listed on the Internet. Having heard of this burial, the Westboro Church, an American independent Baptist church known for its extreme ideologies, especially those against gay people, planned to picket and express their dislike of the military and its soldiers. Its leader, Fred Phelps, staged three protests that day at separate locations, conveying a similar message and displaying predominantly the same signs at each demonstration. On the day of Corporal Snyder's funeral, Fred Phelps along with six of his followers, all of whom are related to him, picketed the funeral. They held signs that said: "God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11," "America is Doomed," "Don't Pray for the USA," "Thank God for IED's," "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," "Pope in Hell," "Priests Rape Boys," "God Hates Fags," "You're Going to Hell," and "God Hates You. They had notified local police in advance of their intention to picket. In compliance with local law enforcement instructions of picketing, their picketing took place on public land approximately 1,000 feet from the St. John's Catholic Church where the funeral was held. None of the protesters entered church property or the cemetery itself. They displayed their signs peaceably throughout the duration of their picketing. They picketed for approximately a half hour before the funeral and ended the picketing as the funeral began.xi.
In addition, the Phelps' published an "epic " on their website that clearly targeted Matthew Snyder personally, entitled "The Burden of Marine Corporal Matthew Snyder.
