The Supreme Court ruled narrowly in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake to celebrate the marriage of a same sex couple because of a religious objections.
The ruling was 7-2.
The court held that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed hostility toward the baker based on his religious beliefs. The ruling is a win for baker Jack Phillips but leaves unsettled the broader constitutional questions the case presented.
The ruling, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, is not the wide-ranging ruling on religious liberty that some expected. It is tailored to the case at hand with the justices holding that members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed animus toward Phillips specifically when they suggested his claims of religious freedom was made to justify discrimination.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the decision. Justices Elana Kagan and Justice Steven Breyer also co-wrote concurring opinions. Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Samuel Alito co-wrote their concurring opinions.
Justice Clarence Thomas also wrote his own concurring opinions. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the dissenting decision that was joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
This is a developing story…
David Mullins (L) and Charlie Craig wait to speak to journalists after the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission on December 5, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Craig and Mullins filed a complaint with the commission in 2012 after conservative Christian baker Jack Phillips refused to sell them a wedding cake for their same-sex ceremony.
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