Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the culmination of a five year old dispute between Charlie Craig and David Mullins and the Masterpiece Cakeshop, a Denver-area bakery that refused to bake their wedding cake, citing religious objections to same-sex marriage.
This case is significant as it challenges the Colorado law barring discrimination in places of public accommodation (i.e. businesses selling to the public) from discrimination, including sexual orientation. Masterpiece Cakeshop has cited its First Amendment rights of artistic expression for not agreeing to bake the cake. Unsurprisingly, the Trump Administration supports Masterpiece Cakeshop.
This case should be watched closely as the implications of a ruling in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop could be profound as it would open the door for a wide range of businesses could begin picking and choosing who they serve, claiming that doing so would force them to comply and send a message that conflict with their beliefs. Some fear a ruling would erode government ability to regulate business transactions and enable for a type of legalized discrimination.
SCOTUS Blog is following this case closely and will be live blogging the arguments before the Supreme Court tomorrow. OutWire757 will link to SCOTUS Blog and offer analysis of this important case.
