State Supreme Court to hear Arlene’s Flowers case

The state’s highest court will hear the appeal of Richland flower shop owner Barronelle Stutzman.

The Washington Supreme Court agreed this week to retain the case rather than send it a step down to the state Court of Appeals.

Oral arguments could happen during the court’s spring term.

Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers on Lee Boulevard, refused to provide services for the wedding of a same-sex couple because of her religious beliefs.

The state Attorney General and the couple both filed lawsuits, and a Benton County Superior Court judge ultimately sided with them, saying Stutzman broke the law.

Stutzman appealed to the state Supreme Court.

“Barronelle and many others like her around the country have been willing to serve any and all customers, but they are understandably not willing to promote any and all messages,” Stutzman attorney Kristen Waggoner said in a statement Thursday.

Stutzman and her team “hope the Washington Supreme Court will affirm the broad protections that both the U.S. Constitution and the Washington Constitution afford to freedom of speech and conscience,” the statement said.

A spokesman for Attorney General Bob Ferguson said “we are confident that the court will uphold the sound reasoning of the Superior Court, which ruled in the state’s favor on all counts.”

A spokesman for ACLU of Washington, which is representing the couple, said religious freedom is fundamental, but religious beliefs “do not give any of us a right to ignore the law or to harm others because of who they are. When gay people go to a business, they should be treated like anyone else and not be discriminated against.”

The case dates to 2013, when longtime Arlene’s Flowers customer Robert Ingersoll approached Stutzman about services for his upcoming wedding to partner Curt Freed.

Stutzman said she couldn’t participate because of her relationship with Jesus Christ. She’s a Christian from the Southern Baptist tradition.

The lawsuits followed — along with a flurry of news coverage and local, state and national debates about religious freedom versus protection from discrimination.

Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom made his ruling in February 2015.

“For over 135 years, the Supreme Court of the United States has held that laws may prohibit religiously motivated action, as opposed to belief. In trade and commerce, and more particularly when seeking to prevent discrimination in public accommodations, the Courts have confirmed the power of the Legislative Branch to prohibit conduct it deems discriminatory, even where the motivation for that conduct is grounded in religious belief,” Ekstrom wrote in his decision.

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 11:28 AM with the headline "State Supreme Court to hear Arlene’s Flowers case."