Statement from Judicial Crisis Network Chief Counsel and Policy Director, Carrie Severino:
“Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is fundamentally about the First Amendment and whether the government can force an artist to promote a message he disagrees with.
“This is not about a generic cake someone picks up at Costco. After all, Jack Phillips was willing to sell an off-the-shelf cake to the couple. But the government wanted to unconstitutionally force him to design a custom wedding cake that would promote a message in direct conflict with his conscience and deeply held religious beliefs, even when there were plenty of other businesses with no such conflict who were happy to bake that cake. The left will try to frame this case as an LBGTQ case but, at its core, it’s about whether or not the government can force or compel an American citizen – protected by the First Amendment – to violate their religious convictions and their right to free speech.”
Background: Carrie Severino is a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.