Lorie Smith is a conservative Christian and a website designer who thinks she should be able to engage in her chosen occupation without compromising her moral beliefs. But that is illegal in Colorado, where Smith is forbidden to create websites for heterosexual weddings unless she is also willing to create websites for gay weddings.
The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act simultaneously censors Smith by stopping her from announcing the principles that guide her work and requires her to express a message that contradicts those principles. The question for the Supreme Court, which heard Smith’s case on Monday, is whether those commands are consistent with her First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
