On Friday, a federal district court halted the enforcement of a Louisville, Kentucky ordinance that would have penalized Chelsey Nelson, a Christian wedding photographer and blogger, for running her business in accordance with her beliefs. Last year, the city of Louisville adopted an ordinance that prevented Nelson from refusing to participate in a same-sex wedding. The ordinance would have also prevented her from explaining her beliefs about marriage on her website or her social media accounts. In other words, the Louisville ordinance would have kept Nelson from publicly stating or acting on her beliefs.
In response to this law, Nelson filed a lawsuit, pointing out that she was being required to choose to “violate the law, forsake her faith, or close her business.” The judge’s decision on Friday allows Nelson to continue to operate her business in accordance with her beliefs as her case continues to move forward. In a statement, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs said,
The court was right to halt enforcement of Louisville’s law against Chelsey while her case moves forward. She serves everyone. She simply cannot endorse or participate in ceremonies she objects to, and the city has no right to eliminate the editorial control she has over her own photographs and blogs.
Freedom of religion only exists if people are free to act and speak in accordance with their religious beliefs. Penalizing someone for operating their business in accordance with their religious beliefs is a serious affront to religious freedom that undermines First Amendment rights. The court was right to stand up for freedom and halt the enforcement of this unjust ordinance.
