PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona court on Thursday upheld Phoenix’s anti-discrimination ordinance, denying a wedding invitation business owners’ challenge that the local law violates their freedom of religion by compelling them to cater to same-sex couples.
The state Court of Appeals’ ruling upholds a trial judge’s October denial of the business owner’s request for a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the ordinance.
The Phoenix anti-discrimination ordinance prohibits businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday for a Colorado baker who wouldn’t make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. That decision didn’t decide the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to gay and lesbian people.
The Arizona ruling can be appealed to the state Supreme Court.
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