Current:Home > ContactColorado Supreme Court to hear arguments in transgender cake case -Wealth Pursuit Network
Colorado Supreme Court to hear arguments in transgender cake case
View
Date:2025-04-17 08:47:38
The Colorado Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit against a Christian baker who refused to make a cake celebrating a gender transition, one of three such cases from the state that have pitted LGBTQ+ civil rights against First Amendment rights.
Two cases have centered on baker Jack Phillips, who in 2012 refused to bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding. Phillips partially prevailed before the U.S. Supreme Court in that case in 2018.
Phillips was later sued by Autumn Scardina, a transgender woman, after Phillips and his suburban Denver bakery refused to make a pink cake with blue frosting for her birthday that also celebrated her gender transition.
Scardina, an attorney, said she brought the lawsuit to “challenge the veracity” of Phillips’ statements that he would serve LGBTQ+ customers.
That case to be argued before the Colorado Supreme Court involves the state’s anti-discrimination law against refusing to provide services based on protected characteristics such as race, religion or sexual orientation.
The Colorado Court of Appeals previously sided with Scardina, ruling that the cake — on which Scardina did not request any writing — was not a form of speech.
The appeals court noted that Phillips’ shop initially agreed to make the cake but then refused after Scardina explained she was going to use it to celebrate her gender transition, with the blue exterior and pink interior reflecting her male-to-female transition.
“We conclude that creating a pink cake with blue frosting is not inherently expressive and any message or symbolism it provides to an observer would not be attributed to the baker,” read the unanimous ruling by the three-judge appeals court in 2023.
The court also found that the anti-discrimination law did not violate business owners’ right to practice or express their religion.
Phillips has maintained that the cakes he creates are a form of speech protected under the First Amendment.
Another recent case in Colorado centers on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights. Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado graphic artist who didn’t want to design wedding websites for same-sex couples.
Graphic artist Lorie Smith, who like Phillips is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, challenged the same state law. The court’s conservative majority said forcing her to create websites for same-sex weddings would violate her free speech rights.
Both sides in the dispute over Scardina’s cake order think the new U.S. Supreme Court ruling will bolster their arguments.
veryGood! (8791)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Man suspected of shoplifting stabs 2 security guards at Philadelphia store, killing 1
- Ukrainian diplomats negotiate both climate change and Russia’s war on their nation at COP28 in Dubai
- College Football Playoff picked Alabama over Florida State for final spot. Why?
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- 70-year-old woman gives birth to twins in Uganda, doctor says
- Man suspected of shoplifting stabs 2 security guards at Philadelphia store, killing 1
- The North Korean leader calls for women to have more children to halt a fall in the birthrate
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- AP PHOTOS: 2023 was marked by coups and a Moroccan earthquake on the African continent
Ranking
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Right Here, Right Now Relive Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker’s Love Story
- Taylor Swift Cheers on Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs Game Against Green Bay Packers
- Live updates | Israel’s military calls for more evacuations in southern Gaza as it widens offensive
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- The Best Pet Christmas Sweaters to Get Your Furry Friend in the Holiday Spirit
- Ahead of 2024 elections, officials hope to recruit younger, more diverse poll workers
- Spotify axes 17% of workforce in third round of layoffs this year
Recommendation
Could your smelly farts help science?
Alabama family's 'wolf-hybrid' pet killed 3-month-old boy, authorities say
Alabama star lineman Tyler Booker sends David Pollack a message after SEC Championship
Mexican woman killed in shark attack on Pacific coast near the port of Manzanillo
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Kate Spade Flash Deal: This $249 Tinsel Crossbody Is on Sale for Just $59 and It Comes in 4 Colors
Vanessa Hudgens Marries Baseball Player Cole Tucker in Mexico
The death toll from a mining tragedy in South Africa rises to 13 after a worker dies at a hospital