Chelsey Nelson Photography v. Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government

A Louisville, Kentucky, law forces a photographer and blogger to create photographs and blogs promoting same-sex wedding ceremonies if she creates photographs and blogs celebrating weddings between one man and one woman. The law also forbids her and her studio from publicly explaining to clients and potential clients (through her studio’s own website or social media sites) the religious reasons why she only celebrates wedding ceremonies between one man and one woman.

Case Timeline

• November 2019: Chelsey Nelson filed a complaint against the city of Louisville.
• February 2020: The United States Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in support of Chelsey, arguing that “[f]orcing Ms. Nelson to create expression and to participate in a ceremony that violates her sincerely held religious beliefs invades her First Amendment rights.”
• August 2020: A federal district court temporarily halted enforcement of Louisville’s law against Chelsey after holding that the law likely violated her freedom of speech.
• August 2022: A federal district court permanently enjoined Louisville from enforcing its law against Chelsey, which allowed her to create messages that align with her religious beliefs about marriage and to publicly promote her views on marriage without the threat of government punishment.
• September 2022: Louisville appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
• September 2022: Chelsey cross-appealed other issues in her case to the 6th Circuit, seeking broader relief to protect her freedom of speech.
• April 2024: The 6th Circuit kept the August 2022 injunction in place and remanded other aspects of the case to the federal district court.
• October 2025: The district court confirmed its prior ruling in favor of free speech, kept the injunction protecting Chelsey in effect, and awarded her nominal damages for the period of time that Louisville officials chilled her speech.