Amy Coney Barrett Has Ties to Right-Wing Group in LGBTQ+ Rights Case
In the Supreme Court term that begins in October, Justice Amy Coney Barrett will hear a case involving the right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people — and the woman who brought the case is represented by a far-right group to which Barrett has close ties.The court will hear the case of 303 Creative v.
Elenis, in which a Colorado web designer wishes to preemptively refuse to design wedding sites for same-sex couples. The designer, Lorie Smith, wants to expand her wedding business but include a statement that she will serve only opposite-sex couples.Smith had filed suit in 2016 to challenge Colorado’s LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination law, which covers public accommodations such as her business.
A trial court dismissed her suit in 2019, and a federal appeals court upheld that dismissal in 2021. She then appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed in February to take the case.
A date for the hearing hasn’t been set.Smith is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization that specializes in fighting for conservative religious causes, especially opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and to abortion rights.
