# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 4- 10 08

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Sh irl ey L. Phel ps -Ro pe r; M eg an Ph el ps -Ro pe r

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff s - Ap pe ll an ts

v.

Co un ty of St . Cha rle s, M is so ur i

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an t - Ap pe ll ee

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Ci ty of Man ch es te r, Mi ss ou ri; St. Lo ui s C ou nt y Mu ni ci pa l Lea gu e

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l

Amici on Beha lf

of App el le e(s

)

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Eas te rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - St . Lou is

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Su bm it te d: Marc h 1 1, 2 01 5 Fil ed : Ap ril 7, 2 01 5 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re MUR PHY an d S HEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s, an d B ROOKS, Dis tri ct 1 Ju dg e.

Th e Hon or ab le Tim ot hy L. Bro ok s, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r t h e

1 W es te rn Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s, s it ti ng by des ig na ti on

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Sh irl ey Ph el ps -Ro pe r an d Meg an Ph el ps -Ro pe r br ou gh t th is Fi rs t an d
Fo ur te en th Am en dm en t faci al ch al le ng e to an or di na nc e ad op te d by St

. Ch arl es Co un ty to reg ul at e th e ti m e an d pl ace of pr ot es t act iv it ie s at fu ne ral s. Giv en th e si m il ari ty b et ween th e or di na nc e h e re an d th e or di na nc e up he ld in Ph el ps -Ro pe r v. Ci ty of Man ch es te r, th e di st ric t co ur t en te red su m m ary jud gm en t fo r th e co un ty. See 2
69 7 F.3 d 67 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (en ba nc ). The Ph el ps -Ro pe rs ap pe al , a nd we affi rm

.

St

. Ch arl es Co un ty Ord in an ce 10 -1 12 pr oh ib it s th e pi ck et in g of a fu ne ral "d ur in g th e pe rio d fro m on e ho ur pr io r to th e co m m en cem en t of an y fu ne ral th ro ug h

on e ho ur fo ll owi ng th e ces sa ti on of an y fu ne ral ." " P i ck et in g a fu ne ral " co ns is ts of "p ro te st act iv it ie s

. . . wit hi n th ree hu nd red feet of t h e p r e mi s e s of a cem et ery,

m or tu ary, ch ur ch or ot he r pl ace of wor sh ip or ot he r lo cat io n du rin g, an d whi ch ta rg et ,
a fu ne ral ." In 20 10 th e Ph el ps -Ro pe rs faci al ly ch al le ng ed th e co un ty's or di na nc e

un de r th e Fi rs t a n d F ou rte en th Am en dm en ts an d Mi ss ou ri' s Rel ig io us Free do m Res to rat io n Act

.

The di st ric t co ur t co nc lu de d ba se d on ou r en ba nc op in io n in Man ch es te r th at th e or di na nc e was pe rm is si bl e un de r th e Fi rs t an d Fo ur te en th Am en dm en ts , en te red

su m m ary jud gm en t fo r th e co un ty, an d de cl in ed to ex erci se su pp le m en ta l juri sd ic ti on

ov er the st at e la w cl ai m

. In Man ch es te r, we up he ld a fu ne ral pr ot es t ord in an ce tha t li m it ed "wh en an d whe re pi ck et in g an d ot he r pr ot es t act iv it ie s m ay oc cu r in rel at io n
to a fu ne ral or bu ria l se rv ic e wit ho ut reg ard fo r th e sp eak er's vi ewp oi nt ." 6 97 F.3d

at 68 9.

The Hon or ab le Aud rey G

. F l e i ss ig
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 2 East ern Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.

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-The Ph el ps -Ro pe rs at te m pt to av oi d Man ch es te r by arg ui ng th at McC ul le n v. Co ak le y un de rm in ed ou r en ba nc op in io n. See 13 4 S. Ct

. 25 18 (2 01 4)

. McC ul le n di d

no th in g to co nt rad ic t th e pr op os it io n th at sp eech is s t i l l su bjec t to reas on ab le

res tri ct io ns whe r e ot he r in te res ts are at st ak e. Cf. Fri sb y v. Sch ul tz , 48 7 U.S. 47 4,
48 7 (1 98 8)

. W e st at ed in Man ch es te r th at pr e s e r v i n g th e pe acef ul ch arac te r of fu ne ral s is on e su ch in te res t. 69 7 F.3 d at 69 2. The Ph el ps -Ro pe rs al so arg ue th at th e

co un ty or di na nc e i s o v e rb ro ad be cau se it s bu ffer zo ne is la rg er th an th e zo ne in
Man ch es te r. The y sp ecu la te th at a fu ne ral he ld in a la rg e pu bl ic pa rk m ig ht ex cl ud e
pr ot es to rs fro m it s pr em is es , bu t th ey pr es en t no ev id en ce of an y fu ne ral s he ld in th e

co un ty at lo cat io ns ot he r th an cem et eri es , m or tu ari es , an d pl a c e s o f wor sh ip

. See
Man ch es te r, 69 7 F .3d at 6 85

.

Turn in g to th ei r Fo ur te en th Am en dm en t cl ai m , t he Ph el ps -Ro pe rs arg ue th at th e or di na nc e is va gu e reg ard in g whe th er pr ot es t act iv it ie s are al lo wed be fo re or aft er

a fu ne ral

. Th e o r di na nc e cl earl y st at es , ho wev er, th at a pe rs on m ay no t en ga ge in "p ic ke ti ng of a fu ne ral du rin g th e pe rio d of on e ho ur pri or to th e co m m en cem en t of

an y fu ne ral th ro ug h on e ho ur f o l l o w i n g th e ces sa ti on of an y fu ne ral ." The Ph el ps

Ro pe rs als o c on te nd th at th e or di na nc e is va gu e b ecau se it do es no t d efi ne th e te rm "p ro te st act iv it y ," bu t th e Su pr em e Co ur t in di cat ed in Hil l v. Co lo rad o th at a pe rs on of or di na ry in te ll ig en ce wou ld co nc lu de an or di na nc e pr oh ib it in g pr ot es t act i vi ti es ba rs a "p ub li c di sp la y of s e n t i men t f or or ag ai ns t a pe rs on or cau se ." See 53 0 U.S.
70 3
, 7 2 1 (2 00 0)

. Fi na ll y , th e Ph el ps -Ro pe rs as se rt th at th e or di na nc e is va gu e be cau se th ey m ig h t n o t b e a bl e to le arn whe n a fu ne ral be gi ns or en ds
, bu t th is ch al le ng e fai ls be cau se sp ecu la ti on ab ou t "v ag ue ne ss in hypo th et ic al si tu at io ns no t be fo re th e [c]ou rt wil l no t su pp or t a faci al at ta ck on a st at ut e." Hil l, 53 0 U.S. at 73 3.

Fo r th es e rea so ns we affi rm th e jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t.

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