In what many have dubbed “Masterpiece Cakeshop 2.0,” the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday in a pivotal case regarding freedom of expression. The Arizona high court found that a Phoenix law violated the free speech rights of religious business owners Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, owners of Brush & Nib Studio, a small business which designs and creates custom wedding invitations. Duka and Koski use their art to create designs for anyone, they just don’t create certain messages that violate their religious beliefs. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a stringent Phoenix law, the “Human Relations Ordinance,” violated their free speech protections under the state constitution and their free exercise rights under Arizona’s Free Exercise of Religion Act. The law demanded artists such as Duka and Kosi express messages that conflict with their core beliefs if asked — and they faced fines or even jail time if they declined. The court held that the Phoenix law, which coerced artists to create messages with which they fundamentally disagreed, would violate the fundamental principle that “an individual has autonomy over his or her speech and thus may not be forced to speak a message he or she does not wish to […]
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