November 8, 2013
Anti-Gay NM Business Appeals Court Ruling in Gay Bias Case
Bobby McGuire READ TIME: 1 MIN.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The nation's highest court is being asked to overturn a ruling that an Albuquerque business owned by gay marriage opponents violated a state anti-discrimination law when it refused to photograph a same-sex couple's commitment ceremony.
A law firm representing Elane Photography filed the appeal Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court. The court is expected to decide in late fall or over the winter whether to hear the case.
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in August that the business's refusal in 2006 to photograph the ceremony involving two women violated the state's Human Rights Act.
Lawyers for the business say the ruling violates the business owners' free speech rights by compelling them to "express messages that conflict with their religious beliefs."
