Court allows Mississippi to enforce LGBT religious objections law

Via Billy

A federal appeals court said this week that Mississippi can enforce a law allowing private citizens, merchants and federal employees to deny services to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals on religious grounds.

The three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the decision overturning a previous decision blocking enforcement of the law, the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, according to reports.

The law was signed by Gov. Phil Bryant (R) in 2016. The plaintiffs immediately appealed the ruling, and lawyers say that enforcement will remain blocked during the appeals process.

Thursday’s decision stated that the plaintiffs challenging the act had no standing before the law because it had not affected or injured them, and the panel did not rule on the constitutionality of the law.