Nebraska joins legal push for business' attempts to refuse same-sex couples

LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has joined a legal push urging the U.S. Supreme Court to back business owners who wish to refuse services to customers that contradict their religious beliefs, citing the First Amendment and free speech.

The amicus brief initiative originated in Colorado, where the owner of a graphic and web design company is suing for the right to deny building websites for same-sex couples as she expands into the business of creating wedding websites. In the document, 303 Creative owner Lorie Smith alleges that Colorado’s anti-discrimination law violates her First Amendment rights.

“Because Smith speaks through her custom design work, Colorado cannot force her to address the topic of same-sex marriage,” the release from Peterson’s office states. “SCOTUS’s [sic] precedents have banned compelled speech without nullifying public-accommodation laws.”

The Nebraska attorney general joins counterparts in 18 other states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.

Nebraska’s attachment to the brief is dated Thursday, two days into Pride Month.