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From Country Mill Farms, LLC. V. City of East Lansing, decided today by Judge Paul Maloney (W.D. Mich.):QuoteThe City of East Lansing requires vendors for its Farmer's Market to comply with the City's public policy against discrimination. Country Mill Farms offers to rent a portion of its property [which is not connected with the Farmer's Market] for weddings. Country Mill Farms, however, will not rent the property for same-sex weddings. Because of this general business practice, the City denied Country Mills Farm's vendor application for the 2017 East Lansing Farmers Market. Country Mill Farms and its owner, Stephen Tennes, sued…....Defendant relied in the revised 2017 vendor guidelines to deny CMF's application to participate in the ELFM. The stated reason for the denial was the Plaintiffs' decision not to rent the venue for same-sex weddings. Plaintiffs' decision was motivated by religious beliefs. Plaintiffs were forced to choose between their religious beliefs and a government benefit for which CMF was eligible…....A law also lacks general applicability if it prohibits religious conduct while permitting secular conduct that undermines the government's asserted interests in a similar way." Fulton. Under the Free Exercise Clause, the government "cannot in a selective manner impose burdens only on conduct motivated by religious belief" while failing "to prohibit nonreligious conduct" that undermines the interests protected by the law. …...A law burdening religious practice that is not neutral or not of general applicability" is subject to strict scrutiny review … [i.e.,] "must be justified by a compelling governmental interest and must be narrowly tailored to advance that interest." … To meet the strict scrutiny analysis, the government cannot rely on the general interest advanced through enforcement of the law; rather, the government must show its compelling interest in the denial of the exception….
The City of East Lansing requires vendors for its Farmer's Market to comply with the City's public policy against discrimination. Country Mill Farms offers to rent a portion of its property [which is not connected with the Farmer's Market] for weddings. Country Mill Farms, however, will not rent the property for same-sex weddings. Because of this general business practice, the City denied Country Mills Farm's vendor application for the 2017 East Lansing Farmers Market. Country Mill Farms and its owner, Stephen Tennes, sued…....Defendant relied in the revised 2017 vendor guidelines to deny CMF's application to participate in the ELFM. The stated reason for the denial was the Plaintiffs' decision not to rent the venue for same-sex weddings. Plaintiffs' decision was motivated by religious beliefs. Plaintiffs were forced to choose between their religious beliefs and a government benefit for which CMF was eligible…....A law also lacks general applicability if it prohibits religious conduct while permitting secular conduct that undermines the government's asserted interests in a similar way." Fulton. Under the Free Exercise Clause, the government "cannot in a selective manner impose burdens only on conduct motivated by religious belief" while failing "to prohibit nonreligious conduct" that undermines the interests protected by the law. …...A law burdening religious practice that is not neutral or not of general applicability" is subject to strict scrutiny review … [i.e.,] "must be justified by a compelling governmental interest and must be narrowly tailored to advance that interest." … To meet the strict scrutiny analysis, the government cannot rely on the general interest advanced through enforcement of the law; rather, the government must show its compelling interest in the denial of the exception….
I’m tired of “religious beliefs” being the crux of the argument.It should be freedom of association.ANYONE for any reason should be able to associate with those they wish - and that includes business because business IS people.
