Washington D.C., Sep 11, 2019 / 12:00 pm
A florist in Washington state sued for declining to serve a same-sex wedding is once again appealing her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a statement issued Sept. 11, lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom said that Barronelle Stutzman's case must be considered by the court for a second time.
Stutzman's appeal comes after the Washington state Supreme Court ruled against her for the second time earlier this year, saying that "the adjudicatory bodies that considered this case did not act with religious animus" in ruling against Stutzman.
"Regardless of what one believes about marriage, no creative professional should be forced to create art or participate in a ceremony that violates their core convictions. That's why we have taken Barronelle's case back to the U.S. Supreme Court," Kristen Waggoner, senior vice president of the U.S. Legal Division of ADF and attorney for Stutzman, said on Wednesday.
In 2013, the 74 year-old florist declined to make flower arrangements for the same-sex wedding of long-time customer and friend Rob Ingersoll, saying that she believed marriage to be a sign of relationship between Christ and His Church and she could not make a floral arrangement for a same-sex wedding. Stutzman referred Ingersoll to several nearby florists.