High court annuls ruling against florist

High court annuls ruling against florist

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court provided a promising directive June 25 in the ongoing effort by business owners to practice their faith convictions.

The justices issued an order that annulled a lower-court ruling against Washington state florist Barronelle Stutzman, a Southern Baptist who declined to design flowers for a same-sex wedding. The order also instructed the Washington Supreme Court to reconsider its previous decision that Stutzman’s refusal to use her artistic ability constituted discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in light of the justices’ June 4 opinion in favor of a Colorado cake artist who refused to design and decorate a cake in celebration of the wedding of two men. (BP)