Whether the picket signs carried by members of Westboro Baptist Church carry religious or political messages is at issue on whether the church has to pay tax on the pickup truck used to carry the signs.

But the decision may be irrelevant if the church’s appeal of a federal court decision in Maryland fails.

In fact, a decision Monday in the Maryland case removed a legal obstacle to beginning collections on the property.

This past October, a federal district court in Maryland found Pastor Fred W. Phelps Sr., Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, Rebekah A. Phelps-Davis and Westboro Baptist Church had invaded the privacy of and inflicted intentional emotional distress on the family of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by church members.

A jury awarded Albert Snyder, father of the Marine, compensatory damage of $2.9 million and punitive damage of $8 million. But on Feb. 4, U.S. District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett reduced the punitive damage to $2.1 million, for a total judgment of $5 million.

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Courtesy Religion News Blog