An Elmira photographer whose lawsuit over New York’s anti-discrimination laws was dismissed in 2021 is pursuing an appeal, buoyed by a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case. Emilee Carpenter, who specializes in wedding photography , filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming New York’s requirement — if she photographs weddings between a man and a woman she must do likewise for same-sex couples — violates her religious beliefs and constitutional rights. In June, the Supreme Court backed a Colorado web designer who sought to decline to create websites for same-sex weddings on the same grounds. In that case, the Supreme Court declined to hear the business owner’s religious freedom argument. Instead, it agreed last year to limit its decision to only consider her free speech claims. Lawyers for the Alliance Defending Freedom , an Arizona-based conservative Christian nonprofit advocacy group who are representing Carpenter, say the court decision will have a direct bearing on the fate of her legal challenge to New York’s law. "We believe we have a strong case," attorney Bryan Neihart said. "The Supreme Court was crystal clear that the government can’t use laws to force people to do something they don’t believe […]
