A web designer from the Denver area, Lorie Smith, who won a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing businesses to refuse services for same-sex weddings based on free speech, is now seeking nearly $2 million in legal fees. The conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, representing Smith, has filed a request for compensation, citing the complexity and groundbreaking nature of the case. The request would reimburse them for over 2,000 hours of work on the litigation. Smith’s lawsuit was based on her beliefs against gay marriage, leading to the Supreme Court overturning a lower court’s ruling in a 6-3 decision.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a faith-based legal advocacy organization, has pursued lawsuits related to religious liberty, and was involved in a challenge to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Smith’s favor was seen as significant for First Amendment rights, with Justice Neil Gorsuch stating that forcing Smith to create speech she does not believe in would violate the Constitution. However, dissenting justices, including Sonia Sotomayor, argued that the ruling granted a business the right to refuse service to a protected class for the first time. Overall, the case has sparked debate regarding free speech and anti-discrimination laws.
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