The settlement for Emilee Carpenter (pictured above) comes after a federal district court temporarily halted state officials from compelling her to express messages inconsistent with her faith.
Under the settlement terms, the court issued an order forbidding New York officials from violating Emilee Carpenter's First Amendment rights to free speech and requiring New York to pay $225,000 in attorneys' fees.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) represented Carpenter and says the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis last month worked in her favor.
ADF was also involved in that case, which involved a graphic designer from Colorado who wanted to make wedding websites for traditional, one-man/one-woman marriages.
Attorney Hal Frampton says that ruling was the primary thing the judge cited in Carpenter's case.
"303 Creative decided that creative professionals have the freedom to speak messages and create messages consistent with their faith," he relays. "They can't be compelled to create messages that are inconsistent with their faith."
That, he adds, "ruled the day" in the photographer's case.
"Free speech is for everyone, and we're pleased to settle this case so that Emilee can speak her views on marriage without the threat of being punished by New York," said ADF Senior Counsel Bryan Neihart in a press release about the settlement.
Emilee Carpenter Photography v. James made its way to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which returned the case to the lower court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 303 Creative.
