OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Supreme Court has found that state courts did not act with animosity toward religion when they ruled that a florist broke the state’s anti-discrimination laws by refusing on religious grounds to provide flowers for the wedding of a gay couple.
The court reaffirmed its 2017 opinion in the case brought against florist Barronelle Stutzman and her Arlene’s Flowers business in Richland.
State Attorney General Bob Ferguson praised the decision but Stutzman told KOMO she’s disappointed with the state’s high court again.
“This case isn’t just about me. It’s about everyone’s freedom to live their belief, without fear of government punishment,” she said.
She had appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the state court last year to determine whether decisions in the case had violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of religious neutrality.