LANSING, Mich. — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and others that challenged the protections offered by the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 (ELCRA).
Federal Judge Jane Beckering of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan dismissed the lawsuit filed by Christian Healthcare Centers on Wednesday.
Christian Healthcare Centers was challenging the newly interpreted anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The ELCRA was originally interpreted as prohibiting discrimination in Michigan based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status.
The protections were later expanded to cover sexual orientation and gender identity after a Michigan Supreme Court decision in July of 2022.
Nessel went before the state's high court and argued that the law had been misinterpreted since its inception.
"That understanding of the ELCRA is decidedly wrong, and has been since its inception. This Court should re-open that door because the ELCRA plainly prohibits sex-based discrimination, which includes discrimination on the basis of one’s sexual orientation," Nessel wrote in the oral arguments request to the Michigan Supreme Court.
The court ended up siding with Nessel in a 5-2 decision.
The application of the newly interpreted law was then challenged by Christian Healthcare Centers, who argued that it violated the centers' 1st and 14th Amendment rights and infringed on its religious mission.
Judge Beckering issued an opinion on the dismissal of the case saying in part, "neither the ELCRA nor the Equal Accommodations Act facially fails to recognize religious freedoms."
Nessel responded to the ruling with a statement saying, "I am pleased that Judge Beckering recognized that the ELCRA and the Equal Accommodations Act already provide for the consideration of religious freedoms when assessing discrimination claims. This ruling also recognizes that a plaintiff cannot bring speculative claims unsupported by any facts.”
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
