ST. LOUIS (CN) - A gay-hating church has filed two more free speech lawsuits against cities in Federal Court. The latest targets are the Village of Riverview and the City of Wentzville.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., claims both towns unconstitutional prohibit picketing at funerals.
Westboro parishioners have targeted the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq, claiming they died because of God's wrath for America's acceptance of homosexuality.
The suits are almost identical to one Phelps-Roper filed last week against the City of Maplewood. All three towns are St. Louis suburbs.
Two weeks ago, Phelps-Roper won a temporary reprieve from a similar statewide law when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Missouri's appeal. A lower court ruled that Missouri could not enforce the law until Phelps-Roper's lawsuit was settled. A trial in that case could take place in July 2010.
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