TO BE DETERMINED

Supreme Court to Decide Whether Christian Web Designer Can Turn Away Gay Couples

The case could resolve whether businesses can reject service to LGBTQ couples on free-speech grounds.

The Supreme Court will determine whether a web developer can refuse service to same-sex couples, it announced Tuesday, setting up a challenge to anti-discrimination laws and LGBTQ rights. Web developer Lorie Smith had refused to make websites for same-sex couples getting married on religious grounds, violating Colorado’s public accommodation law. Smith has pursued her objection to the law on the grounds of free speech, a question that remained unresolved even after the high court ruled in favor of a baker who refused to bake cakes for same-sex couples. The case is also the first to deal with LGBTQ discrimination issues since Amy Coney Barrett tilted the panel’s composition to a 6-3 conservative majority. The case will be heard during the court’s next term, which begins in October.