All this week we’ve been covering the developments in Synder vs. Phelps, currently being heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. The question at the heart of the case is whether Westboro’s members have the right to protest at the funerals of fallen soldiers, gay people and young chlidren, in order to put forward their message: that America is being punished for its tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.

Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, describes the first day of hearings in the controversial Supreme Court case between the Westboro Baptist Church and a man who is suing them for protesting outside his son's military funeral in 2006.

A case coming up before the Supreme Court today will test the limits of free speech.

In Snyder v. Phelps, the anti-gay protestor Fred Phelps is being sued by the father of Matthew Snyder, a 20-year-old Marine who died in Iraq. In 2006, Phelps' group, the Westboro Baptist Church, picketed 1,000 feet from Snyder’s funeral with signs saying “You are Going to Hell” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” The father wants to see the WBC punished for "intentional infliction of emotional distress."

Today, the Supreme Court hears what may be the most controversial case this term: Albert Snyder vs. Westboro Baptist Church. Snyder took members of the Westboro group to court after protesting outside the 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Corporal Mathew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.

The pastor of Westboro is Fred Phelps, who has for years proudly traveled around the country protesting outside of funerals as a part of his virulent crusade against homosexuality. But long before this Supreme Court case, Phelps had risen to national notoriety. His antics date back more than half a century.

The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, will soon stand before the nation’s top court to argue for their constitutional right to protest outside soldiers’ funerals. In their view, American deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are God’s punishment for the country’s acceptance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder is the plaintiff in the case; his son, U.S. Marine Matthew Snyder, was killed in Iraq in 2006. The WBC went to Snyder's funeral in Maryland, holding signs that read “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” and other fiery epithets. Snyder fought the group and won in a lower court, arguing the church deliberately sought to inflict emotional distress, but that decision was overturned at a higher court. The Supreme Court has traditionally been very reluctant to impose limits on our freedom of speech, even offensive speech: will this case qualify?