Mississippi Religious Freedom Law Will Stand Despite Challenges
- Updated Jan 09, 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear two appeals cases which were aimed at preventing Mississippi businesses from declining to serve same-sex weddings.
The Christian Post reports that the Court declined to hear the cases, Campaign for Southern Equality et al. v. Bryant and Barber, Rims, et al. v. Bryant, but provided no comment on their decision.
Mississippi currently has a law on the books, House Bill 1523, which is called the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act. This bill allows businesses to refuse to serve same-sex weddings based on the religious beliefs of their owners.
The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the appeals cases effectively leaves the Mississippi law in place.
“We are pleased that the Supreme Court declined to take up these baseless challenges, which misrepresented the law's sole purpose of ensuring that Mississippians don't live in fear of losing their careers or their businesses simply for affirming marriage as a husband-wife union," stated Alliance Defending Freedom’s Kevin Theriot.
"Those who haven't been and won't be harmed by this law shouldn't be allowed to restrict freedom for others by ensuring dissenters are left open to the government discrimination that has already occurred in states without protective laws like this one,” he continued.
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Publication date: January 9, 2018
