The Supreme Court has refused to hear two cases challenging a law in Mississippi that allows businesses and government employees to deny service to LGBT persons based on religious beliefs. The refusal of the Court to hear the cases means the rulings of lower courts, and the law itself, remains in place.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected an order putting the law, known as H.B. 1523, on hold and dismissed the challenges brought by state residents. In its decision, the court said, “the plaintiffs have not shown an injury-in-fact caused by HB 1523 that would empower the district court or this court to rule on its constitutionality.”
In a statement, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said the law was “democratically enacted and is perfectly constitutional. The people of Mississippi have the right to ensure that all of our citizens are free to peacefully live and work without fear of being punished for their sincerely held religious beliefs,” he said.