SCOTUS Declines Mississippi Religious Freedom Challenge

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Supreme Court declined yesterday to hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of a Mississippi law that allows religious organizations to refuse to hire persons or provide services to LGBT people in situations that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs. The high court's refusal leaves in place the law, known as H.B. 1523, that prevents the state of Mississippi from taking "discriminatory action" against persons who act in accordance with religious beliefs that marriage "is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman." Among the decisions covered are hiring, adoption or foster care, provision of gender reassignment health care and providing personal services such as baking or photography.