Wrong again counselor at large.
The court considered three issues, none of which addressed the "event" per se. The Court considered first a "private matter" rather than an 'event' per se. In legal proceedings this is a material difference, i.e., a matter or an event.
The questions presented were as follows:[18]
1) Whether the prohibition of awarding damages to public figures to compensate for the intentional infliction of emotional distress, under the Supreme Court's First Amendment precedents, applies to a case involving two private persons regarding a private matter;
2) Whether the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment trumps its freedom of religion and peaceful assembly.
3) Whether an individual attending a family member's funeral constitutes a "captive audience" who is entitled to state protection from unwanted communication.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snyder_v._Phelps
Chief Roberts wrote the opinion that nullified the trial jury's award of $11 million dollars to the family of the deceased U S Marine returned from Iraq for services, respects, burial. The Hate Congregation of Westboro Baptist Church appealed all the way to Scotus which granted the church relief.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Supporters of Westboro Baptist Church demonstrate outside the Supreme Court on Oct. 6, 2010
As reported and discussed by
Time, Alito was the only dissenter....
Snyder's lone backer, Justice Samuel Alito, wrote a passionate dissent that accuses his colleagues of being plain mean. "Respondents' outrageous conduct caused petitioner great injury, and the Court now compounds that injury by depriving petitioner of a judgment that acknowledges the wrong he suffered," Alito wrote. He seems to be asking them, How can you sleep at night? "In order to have a society in which public issues can be openly and vigorously debated, it is not necessary to allow the brutalization of innocent victims like petitioner," wrote Alito. "I therefore respectfully dissent." Perhaps another adverb is more fitting: angrily.
Any reasonable person, Alito opined, could interpret Westboro's signs as personal attacks on a dead soldier rather than opinions about public issues. "God Hates Fags" could have been viewed as an attack on Matthew Snyder's sexuality. "Moreover," Alito wrote. "Since a church funeral is an event that naturally brings to mind thoughts about the afterlife, some of the respondents' signs — e.g., 'God Hates You,' 'Not Blessed Just Cursed' and 'You're Going to Hell' — would have likely been interpreted as referring to God's judgment of the deceased."
Roberts emphasized that the court's ruling was narrow. Since, at the time of the protest, Maryland law did not dictate the minimum distance funeral protesters must stand from a service, the court declined to evaluate the constitutionality of the 44 state statutes that have passed picketing restrictions.
Snyder v. Phelps: Why the Supreme Court Ruled for Westboro - TIME
Your side prevailed in both the cases but in the Congregation of Hate case quoted above your "rock star" Justice Alito sang a different tune. Alito played a different riff. One of these dayze we may find out how Alito's alleged legal mind works.