WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis.

“Today, the conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court again voted to break precedent and drag our country backwards, taking away the civil rights of Americans. Specifically, the majority subjects the LGBTQ+ community to treatment as second-class citizens, allowing them to be discriminated against because of who they love. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, ‘… the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.’ Once again, the Supreme Court has strayed from its core mission to provide ‘equal justice under law,’ damaging its legitimacy before the American people.

“Unfortunately, this dangerous decision likely will encourage some states to try to pass even more laws giving a ‘license to discriminate’ against the LGBTQ+ community and other protected classes. Before this can happen, Congress should redouble its efforts to pass the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination nationwide on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in public employment, housing, public accommodations and other areas of our society.”