Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel plans to appeal judge’s ruling that, based on religious freedom grounds, a refusal to serve customers based on their sexual orientation was permissible. (CNN)Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she will appeal a Michigan Claims Court judge’s ruling that allows discrimination against a same-sex couple on religious grounds. Judge Christopher Murray ruled Monday that discrimination against people on the basis of their gender identity was unlawful, but he concurrently ruled that a refusal, on religious freedom grounds, to serve customers based on their sexual orientation was permissible. The lawsuits came after two companies barred serving a same-sex couple and a transgender individual "on religious grounds," the opinion states. One of the two businesses is an event center, while the other is a business specializing in permanent hair removal for women, according to state licensing records. Nessel, in a press release Thursday, praised Murray’s ruling against transgender discrimination but said she would appeal the ruling that the laws in place allow for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Supreme Court says federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination "Michigan courts have held that federal precedent is highly persuasive when determining the contours of the […]
