Post by Logan on Apr 1, 2016 5:20:37 GMT -6
BOISE – A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit to proceed that alleges an Idaho city’s anti-discrimination policy violates the religious rights of wedding chapel owners who oppose same sex marriage.
However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush severely limited the scope of the lawsuit in his ruling on Friday.
Hitching Post owners Don and Lynn Knapp, who are ordained ministers, closed their business for nearly a week in 2014 out of fear that Coeur d’Alene would prosecute them for refusing to perform same-sex marriages. The Knapps contend they were warned about possible consequences by city staff.
They say the closure caused them to suffer an economic loss.
The Knapps, represented by a Christian religious rights legal organization, then filed a complaint against the city shortly after reopening.
Read more: www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/mar/29/judge-lets-idaho-gay-marriage-wedding-chapel-case-/
However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush severely limited the scope of the lawsuit in his ruling on Friday.
Hitching Post owners Don and Lynn Knapp, who are ordained ministers, closed their business for nearly a week in 2014 out of fear that Coeur d’Alene would prosecute them for refusing to perform same-sex marriages. The Knapps contend they were warned about possible consequences by city staff.
They say the closure caused them to suffer an economic loss.
The Knapps, represented by a Christian religious rights legal organization, then filed a complaint against the city shortly after reopening.
Read more: www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/mar/29/judge-lets-idaho-gay-marriage-wedding-chapel-case-/