A 72-year-old florist, who was found by her state Supreme Court as being discriminatory when she refused to provide a cake for a same-sex wedding, has appealed her case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
If the nation's highest court agrees to hear the case, it will mark the "last stand" for Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers, her lawyers said. The appeal was filed on Friday.
"If the government can demand that we speak a certain message or be punished, that should concern us all. That puts not just Barronelle's freedom at stake, but everyone's," said Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing Stutzman in court.
Washington's Supreme Court ruling against Stutzman was essentially a "blatantly unconstitutional" statement, the legal group said, that "it has the right to go after a 72-year-old grandmother for everything she owns just because what she believes does not fall in line with the state's political agenda."
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a similar case involving a Colorado baker who also declined to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding. Alliance Defending Freedom is requesting that the high court consolidate the two cases.
Currently, the Supreme Court is in recess, and the case involving the Colorado baker is not expected to be heard until the fall.
