Federal judge blocks the rest of Mississippi's religious-exemption anti-LGBT law


Late Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves blocked a Mississippi law set to take effect Friday that would have carved out religious exemptions for people and businesses opposed to same-sex marriage, homosexuality, and transgender people. "The state has put its thumb on the scale to favor some religious beliefs over others," Reeves wrote, calling the bill "the state's attempt to put LGBT citizens back in their place" after the Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex couples have the right to get married. On Monday, Reeves had struck down the part of HB 1523 that would have let the state's circuit clerks refuse to issue same-sex marriage certificates due to religious objections. The law also sought to offer protection to businesses that refuse to serve LGBT people and would have affected adoption and foster care as well as bathroom policies at schools and businesses.
After he signed the law in April, Gov. Phil Bryant (R) told the Family Research Council that the "secular, progressive world had decided they were going to pour their anger and their frustration" at him because of the legislation. Reeves said that Mississippi was the entity acting out of frustration, stomping on religious freedoms in the process. "HB 1523 favors Southern Baptist over Unitarian doctrine, Catholic over Episcopalian doctrine, and Orthodox Judaism over Reform Judaism doctrine, to list just a few examples," he wrote. "In physics, every action has its equal and opposite reaction. In politics, every action has its predictable overreaction."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect