The city of Louisville, Kentucky, has agreed to pay nearly $1 million in legal fees to a federal judge who sided with Christian photographer Chelsea Nelson, who claimed city officials violated her First Amendment rights.
The proposed settlement filed Tuesday stipulates that the city will pay $800,000 in legal costs. Nelson’s lawsuit has been percolating in courts for several years and centers on her claims that local anti-discrimination ordinances force her to photograph same-sex weddings and close her business.
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She told CBN News in October 2025 that she is an outspoken Christian and wants to “actively” express her Biblical views on marriage and sexuality on her website. City officials told her it wasn’t allowed, she explained, adding that she couldn’t even tell prospective clients what kind of ritual she performed and didn’t want to take photos.
“When I learned about this ordinance in Louisville, I was really worried that I could be reported and fined $10,000 at any moment for simply being open about the message I celebrate… Marriage between a man and a woman is for life and nothing else,” she said.
In 2020, a federal judge ordered the city not to enforce decades-old anti-discrimination rules, but Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg appealed the decision. The lawsuit was first filed in 2019 and ultimately resulted in a permanent injunction in Nelson’s favor.
While Nelson’s case was progressing through the system, another case – 303 Creative v. Elenis – was being heard in the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 6-3 decision in 2023, the justices ruled that the government cannot use “expressive activities to compel speech,” meaning authorities cannot force artists to create works that send messages they disagree with.
The high court’s decision set a binding precedent and obligated the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which had heard the Louisville case, to send the case back to the district court for further proceedings. Nelson’s case had already been largely decided, but the Supreme Court’s decision solidified her legal standing because when the Supreme Court sets a precedent, all lower courts must make sure their decisions are consistent with those of high court judges.
Alliance Defending Freedom, the religious freedom law firm representing Nelson, is celebrating the legal victory for its client.
ADF senior adviser Brian Neihart said Tuesday that the government “cannot force the American people to say something they don’t believe.”
“For nearly six years, Louisville authorities tried to do just that by threatening Chelsea to promote a view of marriage that was contrary to her religious beliefs,” he said. “Louisville’s threat contradicts a fundamental principle of the First Amendment, which gives the people, not the government, the power to decide what to say. This settlement should teach Louisville that violating the U.S. Constitution can be costly.”
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