The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that a Christian graphic artist who wants to create wedding websites can refuse to serve same-sex couples.
The conservative majority court ruled — by a vote of six to three — in favor of “designer” Lorie Smith, outside of a Colorado state law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and other characteristics. Smith argued that the law violates his right to free speech.
Smith’s opponents have warned that a win would allow a range of companies to discriminate against and refuse to serve black, Jewish or Muslim customers, interracial or interfaith couples or immigrants.
But Smith and his supporters have argued that a ruling against him would force artists – from painters and photographers to writers and musicians – to create work that goes against their beliefs.
“The First Amendment views the United States as a rich and complex place where all people are free to think and speak as they please, not as the government requires,” Judge Neil Gorsuch wrote to the court’s six conservative justices.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion that was joined by other liberals in court. “Today, for the first time in its history, the Supreme Court grants a corporation open to the public the constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class,” Sotomayor wrote.
The ruling is a victory for religious rights and adds to a string of cases in recent years in which magistrates have sided with religious plaintiffs.
For example, last year the court ruled along ideological lines for a sports coach who prayed on his public school field after games.
The ruling is also a backlash to gay rights in court.
For two decades, the Supreme Court expanded the rights of LGBTQ people (which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender), most notably by granting same-sex couples the right to marry in 2015 and a landmark civil law five years later to declare. rights policy that also protects gays, lesbians and transgenders against discrimination in the labor market. This civil rights decree was also written by Gorsuch.
However, even in expanding gay rights, the court was careful to say that people of different religious beliefs should be respected.
The belief that marriage can only be between a man and a woman is an idea that “has long been held — and continues to be held — in good faith by reasonable and sincere people here and around the world,” Justice Anthony wrote. . Kennedy in court ruling on same-sex marriage.
The court revisited that idea five years ago when faced with the case of a Christian baker who objected to designing a cake for a same-sex wedding.
The court issued a limited ruling in favor of the baker, Jack Phillips, saying there was intolerable hostility to his religious views in the hearing of his case.
Smith, who owns a design company in Colorado called 303 Creative, does not currently design wedding websites. She said she wanted to, but her Christian faith would prevent her from creating “websites” to celebrate same-sex marriages. And here it comes into conflict with state law.
Colorado, like most other states, has a law that prohibits publicly traded companies from discriminating against customers.
The state of Colorado says that if Smith offers matrimonial sites to the public under the so-called Public Accommodation Act, she must provide them to all clients, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Companies that violate the law can be fined, among other things. Smith argued that applying that law violates his First Amendment rights, and the state disagreed.
Source: DN
