The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “prohibits discrimination by privately owned places of public accommodation...” has been transgressed against by ample business owners. This may be due to segregation, anti-LGBT laws, and religious intolerance stemming from the past. Because religion and business do not mix, many religious business owners have faced backlash and legal fees. Said business owners may claim they are permitted by the constitution to refuse service. While business owners may refuse service for justifiable reasons, there are stipulations that prevent discrimination of protected classes. Under the constitution, customers do not have the right to force a business to provide a service that would violate the owner’s religion—unless …show more content…
When in court for these types of racially based offenses, many defendants will claim intolerance towards their religion. Under the first amendment of the Constitution, citizens of the United States have the right to freedom of religion. This is the amendment that business owners claim when they are caught discriminating against a protected class. The business owners are unaware, however, that this counter has stipulations that forbid refusal of service in certain situations. For example, a business owner may force an individual to remove themselves from the property if said individual is causing disturbances among other circumstances. As mentioned previously, a Muslim deli owner cannot be forced to serve pork products due to being forbidden by the Koran, for example. Additionally, in Pennsylvania, there is a law—known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act—in place that gives business owners the right to oust an individual with the support of reasonable cause. However, a business owner is restricted from refusing to serve a person of a protected class—despite their religious views. This circumstance is either unknown or neglected by those who defend themselves with the first amendment, which may cause many disputes. Ultimately, this defense typically does not change the odds to favor the