US judge blocks Mississippi law protecting religious objections to same-sex marriage

A US judge has blocked a Mississippi law protecting religious objections to same-sex marriage a day before it was set to take effect. It was said to have favoured some religious beliefs over others and would mean unequal treatment for gay people, the judge said. The measure was intended to protect people who objected on religious grounds to gay marriage, extramarital sex and changing gender. State attorneys are expected to appeal the ruling.

US District Judge Carlton Reeves issued the injunction blocking the law from taking effect on Friday. Bryan Adams cancels Mississippi concert over new religious law

Mississippi passes controversial 'religious freedom bill

Mississippi's "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" would have allowed those who cite religious beliefs to refuse a broad range of services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Critics have said the law is so broad it could apply to almost anyone outside of a heterosexual marriage, affecting business practices, adoptions, foster care, school bathroom policies and marriage licences.

"The state has put its thumb on the scale to favour some religious beliefs over others," Judge Reeves wrote, adding that it violated the Constitution's equal protection guarantee.

Republican Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who signed the bill into law in April, said he was disappointed at the ruling. "Like I said when I signed House Bill 1523, the law simply provides religious accommodations granted by many other states and federal law," Bryant said.

"I am disappointed Judge Reeves did not recognise that reality. I look forward to an aggressive appeal." More than a dozen US states have passed or considered "religious liberty" laws in response to last June's historic Supreme Court decision to legalise gay marriage nationwide.