A legal fight that stretched on for nearly six years has ended with the city of Louisville paying $800,000 in attorneys’ fees after a Christian photographer challenged a local ordinance that, according to journalist Roman Balmakov, could have been used to force her to create speech that conflicted with her religious beliefs.
In a recent Facts Matter segment, Balmakov walked through the case of Chelsey Nelson, a photographer in Kentucky who sued the city over its Fairness Ordinance, arguing that the law, as written, could require her to photograph same-sex weddings and prevent her from stating her views about marriage on her business website. The case did not turn on a dramatic arrest or a sudden enforcement action. Instead, it grew out of a preemptive legal challenge to what Nelson and her attorneys believed was an unconstitutional threat hanging over her work.
By the end of the fight, Balmakov said, Louisville had not only lost on the core constitutional question, but also ended up paying heavily for dragging the case out. In his telling, the result is a costly reminder that when government officials try to compel speech in violation of the First Amendment, the bill can come due years later.
Roman Balmakov Framed The Case As Part Of A Longer Legal Battle
Balmakov did not present Nelson’s case as something appearing out of nowhere. He placed it in a longer line of legal and cultural fights over religious liberty, compelled expression, and same-sex marriage…