The Supreme Court is being asked to consider a case involving the Olympus Spa, a female-only facility in Washington state that seeks to maintain its policy of admitting only women. The spa's owners, citing religious beliefs, are facing legal action from the state of Washington after a complaint was filed regarding their admission policy. The conservative legal groups Alliance Defending Freedom and Pacific Justice Institute have submitted a petition for the Supreme Court to review the lawsuit, arguing that the state’s enforcement actions violate the First Amendment rights of the spa owners.
The petition states that the spa has operated for over 20 years with a policy of admitting only female patrons and hiring only female employees to protect the privacy of women and girls. The legal dispute arose after a complaint from an individual who had not visited the spa, prompting state officials to threaten prosecution for the spa's refusal to allow men.
The petition argues that the state’s requirement for the spa to admit biological males into female-only spaces infringes on the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. The spa owners have previously lost in both federal district and appeals courts and are now seeking the Supreme Court's intervention.
The case has drawn attention due to a dissenting opinion from Judge Lawrence VanDyke of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, who used a crude phrase to illustrate his point about the implications of the court's ruling. The Supreme Court is set to begin reviewing cases on September 28, with a decision on whether to hear the Olympus Spa case expected this fall.