Arizona Daily Independent
A 14-state coalition has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court to grant review and protect the freedom of speech and religious conscience rights of citizens, specifically a Washington florist named Barronelle Stutzman.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is co-leading this brief along with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. They are joined in the brief by the attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, along with Governor Matthew Bevin of Kentucky and Maine Governor Paul LePage.
“The U.S. Supreme Court must recognize that the actions of this florist in Washington are protected by the Constitution,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “It would be unlawful and cruel to compel someone to express ideas that violate their deeply held-religious beliefs even after working to refer the customer to another business.”
