JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/LGBTQ: “The Trump administration told the Supreme Court Thursday [9-7-17] that the First Amendment entitles a Colorado baker to turn away gay couples seeking wedding cakes, despite state law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
While businesses that sell off-the-shelf goods may be bound by antidiscrimination laws, those that make custom products, like the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., could be exempt if filling an order forces them to express views contrary to their own beliefs, the Justice Department said in a friend-of-the-court brief.
‘The department filed an amicus brief in this case today because the First Amendment protects the right of free expression for all Americans,’ said Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam. ‘Although public-accommodations laws serve important purposes, they—like other laws—must yield to the individual freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees. That includes the freedom not to create expression for ceremonies that violate one’s religious beliefs.’
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the gay couple denied service, saw it differently…
The department filed its brief in a case pitting Masterpiece Cakeshop against the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which is likely to be scheduled for Supreme Court argument after November and decided before July.”
-Jess Bravin, “Trump Administration Backs Baker Who Refused to Make Wedding Cake for Gay Couple,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 8, 2017 12:00am