Arguing that a business owner’s religious beliefs do not give her a right to discriminate against customers, Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit defending the constitutionality of New York’s anti-discrimination law.

The brief was filed in the case of Emilee Carpenter LLC v. James, in which a wedding photography business, seeking to deny services to LGBTQ+ couples, claims the New York public accommodations law violates the business owner’s rights to freedom of speech exercise of religion.