Supreme Court Backs Web Designer Against Same-Sex Marriage (3)

A divided US Supreme Court carved out a First Amendment exception to laws barring businesses from discriminating, ruling that a Christian website designer has a free-speech right to create wedding pages only for opposite-sex couples.

Voting 6-3 along ideological lines, the court said the Constitution requires allowances for businesses that engage in expressive activities, rejecting Colorado’s contention that the designer would be discriminating against LGBTQ people.

“Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority. “The First ...