The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a Christian web designer challenging a Colorado state law requiring her to create wedding websites for same-sex couples.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group representing web designer Lorie Smith and her company, 303 Creative, praised the high court’s decision to hear the appeal.
ADF posted on its twitter feed: “This could be a landmark case for religious liberty and artistic freedom. We look forward to representing Lorie before the high court.”
ADF General Counsel Kristen Waggoner said in a statement – “The government doesn’t have the power to silence or compel creative expression under the threat of punishment. It’s shocking that the 10th Circuit would permit Colorado to punish artists whose speech isn’t in line with state-approved ideology.”
In 2016, Smith filed a pre-enforcement legal challenge to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, arguing that the law would force her to provide services contradicting her religious views that marriage is a union between one man one woman.
In July of last year, a panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against 303 Creative, concluding that “Colorado has a compelling interest in protecting both the dignity interests of members of marginalized groups and their material interests in accessing the commercial marketplace.”
In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian baker Jack Phillips, arguing that the state of Colorado violated the baker’s First Amendment rights when it penalized him for refusing to bake a custom cake for a same-sex wedding.