Supreme Court Refuses Case of Christian Florist, Fined Over Same-Sex Wedding - CBN News Crystal Woodall

Supreme Court Refuses Case of Christian Florist, Fined Over 

Same-Sex Wedding

06-25-2018

CBN News Crystal Woodall

WASHINGTON – The US Supreme Court won't hear the case of Barronelle Stutzman, a Christian 

florist who was fined for refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding.

Instead, the high court is ordering the Washington Supreme Court to take a fresh look at the case.

Stutzman has always maintained she was exercising her First Amendment rights when she refused 

to provide flowers for a gay wedding, explaining it goes against her Christian beliefs.

The couple, who had purchased flowers from Stutzman in the past, and state Attorney General 

Bob Ferguson sued her and won. That ruling was then unanimously upheld by the state's nine 

supreme court justices.

"This case is about crushing dissent. In a free America, people with differing beliefs must have 

room to coexist," Stutzman's attorney, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, 

said after the Washington state court's 2017 ruling.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has rightfully asked the Washington Supreme Court to reconsider 

Barronelle’s case in light of the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision,” Waggoner explained. “In that ruling, 

the U.S. Supreme Court denounced government hostility toward the religious beliefs about marriage 

held by creative professionals like Jack and Barronelle. The state of Washington, acting through its 

attorney general, has shown similar hostility here.”

“Barronelle, like Jack, serves all customers but declines to create custom art that expresses messages 

or celebrates events in conflict with her deeply held religious beliefs," she said. "The Washington 

attorney general’s efforts to punish her because he dislikes her beliefs about marriage are as 

impermissible as Colorado’s attempt to punish Jack.”

This is the second time the Supreme Court has passed on the chance to decide whether business 

owners can refuse to comply with anti-discrimination laws on religious grounds.

The justices also declined to fully address the matter when they ruled in favor of Colorado baker 

Jack Phillips, who also declined to provide a same-sex wedding cake to a gay couple on the basis 

of his Christian convictions.

In that case, the high court simply ruled on his behalf because the Colorado commission's treatment 

of Phillips "showed elements of a clear and impermissible hostility toward the sincere religious beliefs 

motivating his objection."

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reports it's unclear whether or not the Washington Supreme Court 

will view Stutzman's case any differently in light of the Colorado decision.