Why the Cake-Baker Supreme Court Case Holds Widespread Ramifications for Believers

Cake baker Jack Phillips will have his day in court tomorrow, as the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission on Dec. 5.

Phillips, a Denver baker and owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, declined to sell a customized cake for a gay couple’s union on the grounds of religious exemption to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The state courts ruled against Phillips, and now his case is being brought before the high court.

The American Family Associationis weighing in on the landmark religious liberties case, asking: Does Colorado’s public accommodations law violate Phillips’ constitutionally protected Christian beliefs about marriage?

“This case could potentially have huge ramifications for religious liberty,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Jack Phillips isn’t the only business owner who has been told to dismiss his religious beliefs. We’ve seen over a dozen examples specifically of Christian business owners being driven out of business by various commissions and bureaucrats for this very reason—because of their religious beliefs. This case could be a turning point at the Supreme Court for religious liberty and, frankly, for the First Amendment rights of people of faith.”

Bakers, florists, and many other businesses could be impacted by the decision, Wildmon added.

“It will be a great victory and will have great implications when it comes to this kind of case law, but the negative ramifications will be steep if for some reason the Supreme Court rules against Mr. Phillips,” Wildmon said. “That could have detrimental impact to religious freedom.”

Because there are many instances of violations of religious beliefs and conscience rights, AFA has asked its more than one million friends and supporters to thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for directing the Department of Justice to stand for religious liberty. More than 50,000 have signed a thank-you message to Sessions. The Phillips case,” Wildmon says, “has the potential to reverse literally decades of repressive court rulings” hostile to the Christian faith.

Read more about the case from Alliance Defending Freedom here. For more information on American Family Association. {eoa}