Supreme Court to hear case of web designer opposed to same-sex wedding clients

U.S. supreme court close up photo
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The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday to determine if a Colorado graphic designer has a First Amendment right to refuse to create websites for same-sex marriages due to her religious beliefs, The New York Times reports. The plaintiff, Lorie Smith, is challenging a state law that forbids businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation.

Smith, the owner of 303 Creative LLC, wants to expand her business to include wedding website services but hasn't moved forward due to fears that she would be violating a Colorado public accommodations law. Smith only wants to portray marriage "through God's lens" and would like to clarify that she won't portray LGBTQ couples. Smith argues that Colorado's anti-discriminatory law violates her right to free speech. She is open to working with same-sex clients on other projects but draws the line at art that goes against her religious principles.

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.