Wire Service Exempt From State Anti-Discrimination Ban In Refusal To Publish Article On Religious Beliefs

In Medhi v. Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, (CT App., official release date: Aug. 13, 2013), the Appellate Court of Connecticut dismissed a suit in which plaintiff claimed he had been discriminated against on the basis of religion when the Associated Press refused to publish articles he had written regarding his religious beliefs.  The court affirmed the Human Rights Commission's holding that AP was exempt from the ban on religious discrimination in public accommodations (CT Stat. § 46a-64 (a)) where the complaint alleged a matter reserved for journalistic discretion. Ordering AP to print the material would have violated the 1st Amendment.