MISSOURI
Courthouse News Service
By JOE HARRIS
ST. LOUIS (CN) – Siding with protesters of the Catholic church, the 8th Circuit on Monday struck down Missouri’s restrictions on demonstrations near places of worship.
Missouri’s House of Worship Protection Act prohibits intentionally disturbing a “house of worship by using profane discourse, rude or indecent behavior … either within the house of worship or so near it as to disturb the order and solemnity of the worship services.”
The law came under fire in 2012 from several protesters, including Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a group that often gathers outside of a Catholic friary in St. Louis that is home to a priest accused of child molestation.
SNAP and Call to Action, a group that wants the church to ordain women and accept gay parishioners, among other things, challenged Missouri’s law under the First Amendment.
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