SCOTUS To Hear Case of Web Designer and Decide If Colorado Can Force Her To Design Websites For Same Gender “Couples”
Seth Segal
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The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to take up a case in which a Christian web designer alleges that Colorado law would force her to design “wedding” websites for same-sex “couples” in spite of her Christian Faith.
This blatant attack on people of faith involves artist Lorie Smith, owner of graphic design firm 303 Creative LLC, and Director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division Aubrey Elenis (and several other division officials). According to Breitbart News, Smith wants to expand her business to include designing wedding websites, “promoting her understanding of marriage.”
In addition, she wants to post a statement “explaining that she can only speak messages consistent with her faith,” according to the cert petition. Liberal attorneys argue that the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) would require her to “create custom websites celebrating same-sex marriage” and would prohibit her statement of faith.
According to Breitbart, “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit sided with the Colorado officials, the judges concluding that the “government may, based on content and viewpoint, force Lorie to convey messages that violate her religious beliefs and restrict her from explaining her faith,” Smith’s attorneys argue.”
“The court also upheld CADA under Employment Division v. Smith, even though CADA creates a “gerrymander” where secular artists can decline to speak but religious artists cannot, meaning the government can compel its approved messages,” the petition continues.
Even though both Smith and Elenis had several legal questions for the justices, the Supreme Court agreed to answer one question in this Religious Freedom case: “whether applying a public accommodation law to compel an artist to speak or stay silent violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.”
This comes on the heels of the famous case of of Colorado baker Jack Phillips. In that case, Phillips refused to make a cake for a same-sex “couple” because doing so violated his Christian convictions. The politically correct mob then went after Phillips. The justices did not rule on the central question in Philips case: whether being made to bake a cake for a same-sex “couple” violated his First Amendment right.
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