A federal judge has issued a significant ruling in favor of a Christian photographer in New York, temporarily blocking the state from compelling her to provide services for same-sex weddings.

The decision, delivered earlier this month, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing national debate over religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws.

According to The Christian Post, Emilee Carpenter, a photographer based in Elmira, New York, filed a lawsuit arguing that New York’s anti-discrimination laws violated her First Amendment rights.

She contended that being forced to photograph same-sex weddings would compel her to express messages contrary to her religious beliefs.

Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., a U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of New York, granted a preliminary injunction in Carpenter’s favor.

The judge agreed that the law, as applied to Carpenter, could infringe upon her constitutional rights, particularly the freedoms of speech and religion.

In the 25-page ruling, Judge Geraci wrote that Carpenter demonstrated a “clear likelihood of success” in her claim that the state’s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law compel speech and interfere with her right to freely exercise her religion.

The injunction prevents the state from enforcing the law against her while the case proceeds.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the legal group representing Carpenter, hailed the ruling as a victory for free expression.

“The government can’t force artists to speak messages that violate their deeply held beliefs,” said ADF senior counsel Jonathan Scruggs in a statement quoted by The Christian Post.

New York officials have not yet indicated whether they will appeal the decision.

The ruling is one of several recent legal battles across the United States testing the boundaries between religious liberty and LGBTQ+ rights.

Legal experts anticipate that the issue could continue to climb through the courts, potentially landing before the U.S. Supreme Court in the future.