WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on June 26 to hear a major religious liberty case that will determine whether Christians within the wedding industry–for example, bakers, florists, and photographers–may refuse to serve same-sex couples because of their religious beliefs.
In 2012, Jack Philips – a Christian baker in Denver, Colo. – was convicted by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission of “discrimination” for declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The commission ordered Philips to bake cakes for same-sex weddings and to file a quarterly compliance report for two years.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear Philip’s case comes after his failure to get a favourable hearing in Colorado’s state courts: The Colorado Court of Appeals sided with the civil rights commission, and the state’s Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Justices who dissented from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex “marriage” two years ago predicted that they would soon have to decide whether the Constitution guarantees the rights of business owners who, for religious reasons, cannot support same-sex weddings.