The U.S. Supreme Court has refused an important hearing concerning fighting anti-LGBTQ law.
The Supreme Court ultimately voted in favor of Mississippi’s “religious freedom” law by deciding to not have the challenge hearing at all.
Instead, they’ve left the ruling at what the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided. That court decided that the parties against the Mississippi law did not have enough backing in their suit against the law.
The law in question is HB 1523 or the Protecting Freedom of Conscience form Government Discrimination Act. It has not actually been put into action yet, but has already caused a great stir in the state of Mississippi.
Essentially, this will be another religious freedom law that would allow businesses and government employees to withhold their services from LGBTQ people based on their own religious beliefs.
At first, the incoming law was blocked by a federal judge in Mississippi back in 2016, the same year the law was signed, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that.
Despite this setback for LGBTQ supporters, there are still many legal challenges waiting for the religious freedom law.
“This latest punt on LGBTQ rights by the nation’s highest court promotes state-stationed discrimination by upholding a law that allows hotels, ER doctors, business owners, and even pediatricians to legally deny services to hardworking LGBTQ families in Mississippi,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD.
“While freedom of religion is a fundamental right, it should never give people the right to impose their belief on others and openly discriminate against others in the name of religious exemptions.”
