A federal judge says a liberal advocacy group has a First Amendment right to call a Christian ministry a hate group for its opposition to homosexuality.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson threw out a lawsuit filed by the Florida-based Coral Ridge Ministries Media Inc. against the Southern Poverty Law Center of Montgomery, Alabama.The ministry sued the law center, Amazon and others in 2017 because it wasn’t included in a program that lets Amazon customers donate to nonprofit groups.

The suit says the refusal was because the law center had labeled the ministry a hate group for its stance against homosexual behavior.

The judge ruled Thursday that the liberal watchdog group has a free-speech right to make the claim.

His ruling didn’t address whether the ministry is a hate organization.
 (Associated Press, copyright 2019)

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