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| We've made it through another Monday, congratulations to us all. This evening, let's hear from columnist Ingrid Jacques, who shares her column on the latest case before the Supreme Court: |
| The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a much-watched case that could answer some pressing questions related to constitutional protections. |
| Lorie Smith is a Colorado-based website designer who wants to fashion sites for weddings. Yet because of her deeply-held religious beliefs, she would like to include a message on her business page that explains why she does not want to create websites for same-sex unions. |
| Colorado's public accommodation law does not allow her to write that message – nor decline to serve LGBT couples in regard to their weddings. |
| Smith sued the state over what she believes is a violation of her First Amendment free speech rights. She felt the state was compelling her to write messages that violate her conscience. |
 | | USA TODAY columnist Ingrid Jacques | | Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY Network | |
| These clashes between anti-discrimination laws and creative professionals with religious views keep coming up, and if the court addresses the free speech element head on in this case, it could add a lot of clarity going forward. |
| I recently wrote about this case, and what it means for other artists who use their talents in the public marketplace. Thanks for reading. |
| — Ingrid Jacques |
Also from Ingrid: Dr. Fauci is open to more school shutdowns? You've got to be kidding me. |
| As temperatures get colder, and children are finally back to the classroom, sickness is going to result. It's worse this year, too, given how long kids were kept at home during COVID-19 and not exposed to the usual flu and cold cycles. Many are experiencing it for the first time – or the first time in a long time. |
| As we've reached another holiday season, there are warnings of a "tripledemic" of COVID-19, flu and RSV, a respiratory illness that most affects children. |
| That didn't prepare me, however, for hearing what Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said on "Face the Nation" recently. |
 | | Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies to a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) | | Jacquelyn Martin/AP | |
| "I don't know. Margaret, I'm not sure. When you talk about shutting down schools, there's always the … collateral issue. So you have to balance, and you do it in real time depending upon the viral load of disease in your region." |
| I think I heard the collective gasp from parents – and students – who are still reeling from the consequences of school closures during the pandemic. And it's not just academic shortfalls. Students suffered mentally, too. |
| Didn't we learn anything the past three years? |
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