Colorado baker sues state after denying cake to transgender woman
Conservative Christian baker Jack Phillips. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A Colorado baker, who found himself at the center of the Supreme Court’s recent Masterpiece Cakeshop decision, has launched another legal challenge against the state which says he discriminated against a customer — this time a transgender woman.
The details: In the lawsuit, Jack Phillips' attorney said the baker had denied service to Colorado lawyer Autumn Scardina on religious grounds in June of last year, because she requested a custom cake to celebrate the 7th anniversary of the day she had come out as transgender.
Phillips cited that same reason — religious grounds — when he refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, a decision the Supreme Court upheld in June.
- Two weeks after the ruling in his last case, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission said Phillips had discriminated against Scardina because of her transgender status.
"Colorado has renewed its war against him by embarking on another attempt to prosecute him, in direct conflict with the Supreme Court’s ruling in his favor. This lawsuit is necessary to stop Colorado’s continuing persecution of Phillips."— The lawsuit claims
Reality check: As Axios' Sam Baker reported, the narrow 7-2 decision said Colorado’s legal proceedings had shown a hostility toward the baker’s religious beliefs.
Yes, but: It stated that "some future controversy involving facts similar to these" could go the other way. The court didn't say whether business owners can use religious objections to deny service to LGBTQ people.