MA father awarded $11 million in lawsuit over his military son's funeral

[ag]

I guess, an argument could be made, that there is a distinction between a private and a public funeral.  It would seem that demonstrating during a ceremony at the Arlington Cemetery, where the top brass and the politicians are present, would be much more protected than demonstrating during a private ceremony to which nobody but the friends and family had been invited. To the extent that families consent to participation in public rituals, they necessarily forgo a degree of privacy and enter the domain of free speech.  To the extent they keep it all within the family, their right to privacy might take precedence.  I do not know enough details of this case to have a personal opinion on whether the former or the letter is the case. But, to recapitulate, I would be very concerned if anyone were punished for demonstrating during an Arlington Cemetery funeral, but could see reasonable limits imposed on demonstrating at village burial grounds