DENVER (BP) – Religious freedom advocates objected to Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips’ court loss in his latest attempt to defend the freedom to conduct his business according to his Christian convictions.
A Denver District Court judge ruled Phillips and his business, Masterpiece Cakeshop, violated Colorado’s Anti-discrimination Act (CADA) by declining to create a cake for a gender transition celebration. After the June 15 release of the decision, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious liberty organization that is supporting Phillips in the case, said the ruling would be appealed.
It is the second time in recent years Phillips has been in court for refusing to create a cake because he believed the message communicated by doing so would compromise his faith.
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered an important, though limited, victory to Phillips in the previous case. In a 7-2 opinion in 2018, the high court ruled the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (CCRC) violated the religious free exercise clause of the First Amendment by penalizing Phillips for refusing to design and decorate a cake for the wedding of two men. The justices said the commission demonstrated “religious hostility” toward Phillips – who believes marriage is only between a male and a female – but also indicated it might rule differently in other contexts with similar facts.
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Source: Baptist Press
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