MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) today joined a coalition in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court defending the constitutionality of Colorado’s public accommodations law, arguing that a business owner’s religious beliefs do not give a business open to the public the right to discriminate against customers. “Public accommodations laws play a vital role in preventing exclusion and discrimination,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “This attack on equal access to stores and other businesses must be rejected.” The brief filed today in the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, in which a website design business and its owner, looking to deny services to LGBTQ+ couples, claim Colorado’s public accommodations law violates the First Amendment’s protection for freedom of speech. The states’ brief is in support of the respondents, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and other Colorado civil rights enforcement officials, who are defending the constitutionality of Colorado’s public accommodations law. Colorado’s public accommodations law forbids a place of public accommodation from refusing to provide services to a customer because of their sexual orientation—as well as other protected characteristics like their race, sex, or religion—and prevents businesses from advertising their intention to refuse […]
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