Supreme Court agrees to hear Christian baker’s case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a major religious liberty case that will determine whether Christian wedding service providers must work with same-sex couples. Denver-area bakery owner Jack Philips is appealing his conviction for “discriminating” against a gay couple when he declined to make their wedding cake in 2012. After the couple complained, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission ordered Philips to create cakes for same-sex weddings, reeducate his staff on discrimination policy, and file quarterly “compliance” reports for two years. The Colorado Court of Appeals sided with the commission and the state’s Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Christian bakers, florists, photographers, and wedding venue owners have consistently lost challenges to local laws requiring them to provide services for same-sex unions. Justices who dissented from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage predicted they would soon be called on to determine whether the Constitution’s religious liberty conscience protections extend to business owners who hold to a Biblical interpretation of marriage. Before the Obergerfell decision, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a New Mexico photographer fined for refusing to work with a same-sex couple. Check tomorrow's Liberties roundup for more analysis of Philips' case.

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