The US Supreme Court ruled that a Christian website designer has a free-speech right to create wedding pages only for opposite-sex couples.
Voting 6-3 along ideological lines, the court said anti-discrimination laws, including the Colorado measure at issue in the case, must make allowances for businesses that engage in expressive activities.
“Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority.
Read more: What the Supreme Court Case on Same-Sex Weddings Is About: Q&A
The ruling adds to a string of victories for religious groups and individuals at the nation’s highest court. It deals a blow to LBGTQ rights eight years after the court’s landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Colorado is one of about two dozen states that bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by businesses that serve the general public.
Read the decision here.
(Updates with more details from opinion)
