Thomas Jipping Thomas Jipping is deputy director of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies and senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in a case arising from Minnesota strikes the right balance between First Amendment rights and the statutory right to be free from discrimination. The ruling came in a case involving Telescope Media Group, which produces commercials, short films, and live-event productions. Owners Carl and Angel Larsen want to produce wedding videos, but, based on their religious beliefs, decline requests to do so for same-sex weddings. State and local governments continue to enact laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and, in many cases, gender identity in “places of public accommodation,” such as businesses. Courts are, therefore, increasingly called upon to address cases where those laws conflict with constitutional rights, including the freedoms of speech and religious exercise. In the current social and political climate, these cases are easily, if not intentionally, misrepresented by ignoring some of the important rights involved. Focusing only on the civil right against discrimination makes it appear as though all these business owners want to do is discriminate. The truth […]
