A blow to gay rights today as the Supreme Court shoots down a case that challenged a Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex couple. 7 justices backed the ruling, while just Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
The official SCOTUS opinion reads “The couple filed a charge with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (Commission) pursuant to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), which prohibits, as relevant here, discrimination based on sexual orientation in a ‘place of business engaged in any sales to the public and any place offering services . . . to the public.’”
The ruling written by Justice Anthony Kennedy says, “The reason and motive for the baker’s refusal were based on his sincere religious beliefs and convictions. The Court’s precedents make clear that the baker, in his capacity as the owner of a business serving the public, might Cite as: 584 U. S. ____ (2018) 3 Opinion of the Court have his right to the free exercise of religion limited by generally applicable laws.”
BREAKING: US Supreme Court rules narrowly for Colorado baker who cited religious reasons for denying to make cake for same-sex wedding. pic.twitter.com/DHe68HPYy7
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 4, 2018
CNN’s chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says:
“This is an enormous defeat for the gay rights movement. The question now is what are the limits, with the religious people, in terms of when they can discriminate”
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