{"id":19295,"date":"2026-03-25T01:01:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T01:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/louisville-to-pay-800k-after-christian-photographer-wins-free-speech-case\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T01:01:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T01:01:50","slug":"louisville-to-pay-800k-after-christian-photographer-wins-free-speech-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/louisville-to-pay-800k-after-christian-photographer-wins-free-speech-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisville to pay $800K after Christian photographer wins free speech case"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"judgeBy emmitt barry<\/a>Worthy News Washington DC Bureau Chief<\/p>\n

(WORTH NEWS) \u2013 Louisville, Kentucky has agreed to pay $800,000 in attorney fees to Christian photographer Chelsea Nelson after a legal victory over the city’s public accommodations law that required her to photograph same-sex weddings when she performed services for traditional weddings.<\/p>\n

The settlement, reached Tuesday, comes more than three years after a federal court ruled that the First Amendment protects Nelson from being forced to create material that conflicts with his religious beliefs. The court also barred the city from implementing policies that would either force him to promote messages with which he disagrees or prevent him from expressing his views.<\/p>\n

Nelson challenged the ordinance, arguing that it not only constrained his artistic expression, but also prevented him from explaining his beliefs to potential clients. The court ultimately granted summary judgment in her favor six months ago, sealing her legal victory.<\/p>\n

The case came before the US Supreme Court’s 303rd creative decision, which confirmed that creative professionals cannot be forced by the government to participate in speech that violates their conscience.<\/p>\n

“The government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe,” said Brian Neihart, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Nelson. He said that city officials had spent years trying to force Nelson to promote views on marriage that were contrary to his beliefs.<\/p>\n

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