Louisville to Pay $800,000 for Violating Christian Photographer’s Free Speech Rights
The city of Louisville, Kentucky will pay $800,000 in attorneys’ fees for violating the First Amendment rights of a Christian photographer and blogger.
“The government cannot force Americans to say things they don’t believe,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Bryan Neihart. “For almost six years, Louisville officials tried to do just that by threatening to force Chelsey to promote views about marriage that violated her religious beliefs.”
Chelsey Nelson, owner of Chelsey Nelson Photography, uses her passion for photography to celebrate marriage. She believes that God created marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman.
While Chelsey works with clients of all different faiths and backgrounds, she can’t in good conscience use her talents and abilities to celebrate ceremonies she disagrees with – like “same-sex weddings.”
However, the city of Louisville, invoking its public accommodation law (Metro Ordinance § 92.05), used the threat of “limitless damages, compliance reports, posting of notices, and court orders to force Chelsey to create photographs for, blog about, and participate in” same-sex weddings.
The city also made it illegal for Chelsey to explain why she believes marriage is between a man and a woman on her own business website. Can you imagine a more direct attack on free speech than that?
To protect her own conscience, business and constitutional rights, Chelsey filed a lawsuit alleging Louisville’s law violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments and the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Chelsey is represented by attorneys with ADF.
The organization published a video sharing more of Chelsey’s story, which you can watch below:
On August 30, 2022, the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Kentucky issued a permanent injunction barring Louisville from enforcing its public accommodation law against Chelsey.
The court said laws like Louisville’s “coerce” Americans into “betraying their convictions.” Indeed, “The First Amendment exists to … keep the artist’s expression truly free,” it added.
Now, the city of Louisville has agreed to settle the lawsuit and pay $800,000 in attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses. The city decided to finally settle after a September 2025 ruling from the court, stating, “Nelson suffered a First Amendment injury.”
“Louisville’s threats contradicted bedrock First Amendment principles which leave decisions about what to say with the people, not the government,” Neihart added. “This settlement should teach Louisville that violating the U.S. Constitution can be expensive.”
No Christian should be forced by the government to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs and celebrate a ceremony they believe is sinful.
We congratulate Chelsey on her victory and applaud her for standing up for her faith and constitutional rights.
The case is Chelsey Nelson Photography v. Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government.
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Photo from Alliance Defending Freedom.
