'The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place, where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands,' Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Christian graphic artist and website designer Lorie Smith speaks to supporters outside the Supreme Court, on Dec. The remaining 21 states do not have laws explicitly protecting LGBTQ rights in public accommodations, although some local municipalities do. The ruling could allow other owners of similar creative businesses to evade punishment under laws in 29 states that protect LGBTQ rights in public accommodations in some form.
