US Supreme Court sends back case against Christian florist sued for rejecting gay ‘wedding’
The United States Supreme Court announced Monday it was ordering the Washington Supreme Court to reconsider its judgment that a Christian florist must provide flowers for a same-sex “wedding” ceremony. The case stems from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against Barronelle Stutzman, the proprietor of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Washington, for refusing to provide flowers for a customer’s same-sex "wedding" ceremony. Stutzman had previously served the customer’s every other request for years, and has employed homosexual workers, but her Christian faith compelled her to draw a distinction between serving all individuals and lending her artistic endorsement to celebrations of homosexuality. The Washington Supreme Court ruled last year that the government may force Christians to serve same-sex “weddings,” and in July 2017, the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case. On Monday, the high court vaca