In Michigan It's Illegal to Advertise for a "Christian" Roommate

I don't think the state will have a case if this is challenged:

A civil rights complaint has been filed against a woman in Grand Rapids
, Mich., who posted an advertisement at her church last July seeking a Christian roommate.

The ad "expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths,” according to the complaint filed by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

"It's a violation to make, print or publish a discriminatory statement," Executive Director Nancy Haynes told Fox News. "There are no exemptions to that."

Haynes said the unnamed 31-year-old woman’s case was turned over to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Depending on the outcome of the case, she said, the woman could face several hundreds of dollars in fines and “fair housing training so it doesn’t happen again.”

"It's really difficult to say at this point what could potentially happen," he told the newspaper, noting that there are exemptions in the law for gender when there is a shared living space.

But Joel Oster, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing the woman free of charge, describes the case as "outrageous."

"Clearly this woman has a right to pick and choose who she wants to live with," he said.

The First Amendment freedom of assembly will probably protect this woman should she challenge any punitive action brought against her. The State cannot dictate that she live with a particular person or that she must accept anyone who applies. If she wishes to restrict her roommates to particular religious persuasions the State can't do anything about it.