A Christian florist is appealing to the Supreme Court after Washington state’s highest court ruled against her for refusing to create floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding on the grounds that doing so would violate her religion. Barronelle Stutzman, who owns Arlene’s Flowers, first asked the Supreme Court to consider her case in 2017, but the justices sent it back to the state to reconsider last year in light of another high court ruling telling Colorado to reconsider penalties against a Christian baker in a similar case. On Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court again ruled against Ms. Stutzman, saying the record shows she had a fair hearing the first time and was found to have violated the state’s public accommodations law, which prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation. “The hostility my state has shown me because of my faith is undeniable and I am confident the U.S. Supreme Court will see that viewpoint,” Ms. Stutzman said in announcing her appeal. The Supreme Court ruled last year for Jack Phillips, a Christian baker, who had refused to create a cake for a same-sex wedding, saying the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had acted with religious animus when […]
