The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to take a New Mexico case, in which a photographer refused to take photos of a same-sex couple’s commitment ceremony.
The Court did not make a comment on the decision. Instead, it will uphold a lower court ruling, which found that Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin of Elane Photography violated an anti-discrimination law by refusing to photograph Vanessa Willock and her partner’s commitment ceremony in 2006, reports NBC News. The Huguenins declined to take the photos, saying that it was against their religious beliefs.
According to The Washington Post, the Huguenins said that they would take portraits of gays and lesbians, but a same-sex marriage or commitment ceremony “require them to create expression conveying messages that conflict with their religious beliefs,” according to a petition to the court.
The New Mexico Supreme Court previously upheld a decision that the Huguenins did violate the New Mexico Human Rights Act. Essentially, the couple can refuse to take photos of a commitment ceremony on their own time, but if contracted to do so as part of their business, they cannot refuse service.
This case had influenced the Arizona state legislature to pass a controversial bill that would allow businesses to deny service based on religious beliefs. However, after pressure nationwide, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed the bill.