The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a Washington state florist found to have violated antidiscrimination laws by refusing to make a floral arrangement for a same-sex wedding.
The court’s decision Friday comes on the heels of its June 17 decision in Fulton v. Philadelphia. The justices there ruled unanimously that Philadelphia couldn’t refuse to contract with Catholic Social Services despite the group’s refusal to place foster children with married same-sex couples.
Barronelle Stutzman of Arlene’s Flowers is challenging a Washington state court that found she’d run afoul of state LGBT protections by turning away longtime customer Robert Ingersoll. She alleged that creating a floral arrangement for his wedding would violate her religious beliefs.
The justices previously returned her case to the Washington Supreme Court after its 2018 Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colo. Civil Rights Comm’n decision in favor of a cake maker found to have violated his state’s antidiscrimination law for refusing to serve a gay couple.
The Washington state court once again ruled against Stutzman.
Washington state recognized same-sex marriage in 2012.
The case is Arlene’s Flowers v. Washington, U.S., No. 19-333.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:
See Breaking News in Context
Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.
Already a subscriber?
Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.
