GO AHEAD, LIVE IN SIN

The Supreme Court today refused to hear the appeal of an Alaska rental agent who refused to rent to unmarried couples on the grounds that they were being sinful. Over the solo dissent of Justice Clarence Thomas, the court left intact an Alaska Supreme Court ruling that said the agent, Tom Swanner, violated state and local laws by refusing to rent to such couples. Swanner's appeal said these laws violated his First Amendment religious freedoms. Thomas argued that "there is surely no firm national policy against marital-status discrimination in housing decisions."