Conservative justices form 6-3 majority in case Web designer Lorie Smith poses for a portrait at her office in Littleton, Colo., in this photo taken Nov. 28, 2022. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favour of Smith in a dispute over protections for freedom of speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. (Kevin Mohatt/Reuters) In a blow to LGBTQ rights, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the constitutional right to free speech allows certain businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, ruling in favour of a web designer who cited her Christian beliefs in challenging a Colorado anti-discrimination law. The justices in a 6-3 decision authored by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch overturned a lower court’s ruling that had rejected Denver-area business owner Lorie Smith’s bid for an exemption from a Colorado law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors. Smith’s business, called 303 Creative, sells custom web designs. The dispute focused on protections for freedom of speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. "The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as […]
