Source: Senator Michael F. Bennet - (D - CO)
Note from the editor: I hate it that I don't have more news in support of the Masterpiece Cake Shop. I can't post it if I don't have it. If anyone has press releases that support the cake shop, or would like to write an opinion editorial supported by facts about the case, I would love to post it at the Ponder as an exclusive Op-Ed. Send it to me using the email at the bottom of the web site.
Thank you!
(If you don't, just remember: If your internet seems flooded with the leftist agenda, it is because the right are not contributing, and have chosen to sit down and be quiet. The pen IS mightier than the sword!
Washington, D.C. - November 4, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, along with Colorado U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette, Ed Perlmutter, and Jared Polis, are among 211 Members of Congress who this week filed an Amicus Brief in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which will be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on December 5.
The brief is in support of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which enforces the state's anti-discrimination statute providing civil rights protections for historically marginalized groups, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. A ruling against the Commission could create a "license to discriminate," allowing businesses to deny service to Americans, including LGBTQ people.
"In signing this brief, we are sending a clear signal that every American - regardless of race, color, sexual orientation, or gender - should be guaranteed freedom from discrimination in all aspects of their lives," Bennet said. "We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will affirm this principle and set an important anti-discrimination precedent."
"I'm honored to join 210 of my House and Senate colleagues in signing this brief, which helps ensure that businesses in Colorado and across America are open to all," DeGette said. "LGBTQ Americans deserve the full protection of the law; this case is about that, and more. Our brief affirms freedom from discrimination for all people in our society. This case isn't about wedding cakes, just as it wasn't about water fountains half a century ago."
"If a business is open to the public, it should be open to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or who they love," Perlmutter said. "Every American has the right to be treated fairly and equally, and should have the freedom to live the life they want. I'm proud to sign on to this amicus brief and support other legislation to ensure equal rights for all Americans."
"It's a basic principle: discrimination of any kind is wrong in a public accommodation," Polis said. "We must not chip away at anti-discrimination protections under law. The liberty of all Americans, not just LGBTQ Americans, is at stake."
In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins were denied a wedding cake by Masterpiece Cakeshop because of their sexual orientation. The shop's owner, Jack Phillips, cited religious objections to same-sex marriage as a justification for his refusal. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled that the shop could not lawfully deny services to individuals based on their sexual orientation under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and required the shop to provide staff training and issue reports on steps taken to come into compliance with the ruling. Masterpiece Cakeshop appealed the ruling, which was eventually upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. The shop appealed the decision, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 5th. If the court finds that a business owner's religious conviction or expressive intent trumps civil rights laws, it could undermine local, state, and federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in accessing public accommodations.
In the friend-of-the-court brief, 36 Senators and 175 House members urged the Supreme Court to affirm the Colorado Civil Rights Commission's initial decision to require Masterpiece Cakeshop to comply with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. The brief considers the history of federal nondiscrimination laws, such as Title II of the Civil Rights Act and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and how rulings regarding those statutes apply to the pending case. Signers warned that the outcome of the case could have broad implications for the civil rights of groups that already face discrimination and that creating exemptions to public accommodations laws - in this case based on a business' arguably expressive conduct or religious belief - would undermine the government's interest in prohibiting discrimination against minority groups.
The brief is supported by One Colorado, Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Employment Law Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Women's Law Center, People for the American Way Foundation, SAGE, Transgender Law Center, Equality California, Equality Delaware, Equality Florida, Equality New Mexico, Equality North Carolina, and Garden State Equality.
A full version of the brief is available HERE.
See more headlines about the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site by clicking here
The Unpopular Truth
Showing posts with label Masterpiece Cakeshop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Masterpiece Cakeshop. Show all posts
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Pondering the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
The Masterpiece Cake Shop refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, citing religious grounds. They were sued.
The Ponder News has gathered information on this case and posted it all at
https://www.thepondernews.com/masterpiececakeshop
Here are the headlines you will see there:
HRC-Led Amicus Briefs in Masterpiece Cakeshop SCOTUS Case Features Top Chefs, Businesses
Amicus Briefs Demonstrate Broad Support for Equality in Masterpiece Case
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney Lead Congressional Amicus Brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
EVENT: Debate: ‘Masterpiece Cakeshop at US Supreme Court’ at Newseum on Nov. 13
THE MASTERPIECE CAKE SHOP SUPREME COURT CASE DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CAKE
Visit the Ponder News Today!
The Ponder News has gathered information on this case and posted it all at
https://www.thepondernews.com/masterpiececakeshop
Here are the headlines you will see there:
HRC-Led Amicus Briefs in Masterpiece Cakeshop SCOTUS Case Features Top Chefs, Businesses
Amicus Briefs Demonstrate Broad Support for Equality in Masterpiece Case
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney Lead Congressional Amicus Brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
EVENT: Debate: ‘Masterpiece Cakeshop at US Supreme Court’ at Newseum on Nov. 13
THE MASTERPIECE CAKE SHOP SUPREME COURT CASE DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CAKE
Visit the Ponder News Today!
HRC-Led Amicus Briefs in Masterpiece Cakeshop SCOTUS Case Features Top Chefs, Businesses
Source: Human Rights Campaign
Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, announced two amicus briefs featuring the nation’s leading bakers, chefs and businesses who oppose discrimination against LGBTQ people — the central issue in the pending Supreme Court case Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
The ‘Chefs for Equality’ brief includes bakers, chefs, restaurateurs and other culinary industry leaders from every state, plus Washington D.C. In addition to food professionals from all over the country, it is signed by some of the most prominent names in the culinary industry, including Elizabeth Falkner, Jose Andres, Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Berman of Georgetown Cupcake, Carla Hall, Padma Lakshmi, Christina Tosi, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, Duff Goldman, Sam Kass and more.
An HRC-led amicus brief featuring 37 businesses has also been filed in this case, also arguing that businesses must be open to all.
“The culinary community has joined this brief to relay a very simple message: ‘we welcome all,’” said Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign. “If a business is open on main street, it must be open to everyone, regardless of who they are or whom they love. It is important for the nation and the Supreme Court to affirm the equal dignity of every single American.”
The ‘Chefs for Equality’ brief was authored by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
“These companies are sending a powerful message to LGBTQ people and their families that America’s leading businesses believe in equality,” said HRC Deputy Director of Employee Engagement Beck Bailey. “Across the country, corporate leaders know that businesses should be open for all. A business owner's personal beliefs should never be reason enough to discriminate against a customer because of who they are or who they love.”
The brief featuring major businesses was authored by Steptoe & Johnson LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The companies signing the brief are:
Affirm, Inc.; Airbnb, Inc.; Amalgamated Bank; Amazon.com, Inc.; American Airlines; Apple; Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.; Choice Hotels International, Inc., International; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Citigroup Inc.; Deutsche Bank; Glassdoor, Inc.; Intel Corporation; John Hancock; Levi Strauss & Co.; Linden Research, Inc.; Lyft Inc.; Marriott International, Inc.; MassMutual; Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; MongoDB, Inc.; National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; NIO U.S.; PayPal Holdings, Inc.; Pfizer Inc; Postmates Inc; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Prudential Financial, Inc.; Replacements, Ltd.; salesforce.com, inc.; SurveyMonkey; The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.; Uber Technologies, Inc.; WeddingWire, Inc.; Weebly, Inc.; Witeck Communications; and Yelp Inc.
Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is a case pending at the Supreme Court of the United States involving a baker who in 2012 refused to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Last year, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a ruling by the Colorado Court of Appeals that bakery owner Jack Phillips cannot cite religious beliefs or free speech in order to discriminate against same-sex couples. Amicus briefs in support of the same-sex couple and the the Colorado Civil Rights Commission must be filed at the Supreme Court of the United States today. Oral arguments will be heard by the Court on December 5.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
See more headlines about the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site by clicing here
Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, announced two amicus briefs featuring the nation’s leading bakers, chefs and businesses who oppose discrimination against LGBTQ people — the central issue in the pending Supreme Court case Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
The ‘Chefs for Equality’ brief includes bakers, chefs, restaurateurs and other culinary industry leaders from every state, plus Washington D.C. In addition to food professionals from all over the country, it is signed by some of the most prominent names in the culinary industry, including Elizabeth Falkner, Jose Andres, Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Berman of Georgetown Cupcake, Carla Hall, Padma Lakshmi, Christina Tosi, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, Duff Goldman, Sam Kass and more.
An HRC-led amicus brief featuring 37 businesses has also been filed in this case, also arguing that businesses must be open to all.
“The culinary community has joined this brief to relay a very simple message: ‘we welcome all,’” said Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign. “If a business is open on main street, it must be open to everyone, regardless of who they are or whom they love. It is important for the nation and the Supreme Court to affirm the equal dignity of every single American.”
The ‘Chefs for Equality’ brief was authored by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
“These companies are sending a powerful message to LGBTQ people and their families that America’s leading businesses believe in equality,” said HRC Deputy Director of Employee Engagement Beck Bailey. “Across the country, corporate leaders know that businesses should be open for all. A business owner's personal beliefs should never be reason enough to discriminate against a customer because of who they are or who they love.”
The brief featuring major businesses was authored by Steptoe & Johnson LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The companies signing the brief are:
Affirm, Inc.; Airbnb, Inc.; Amalgamated Bank; Amazon.com, Inc.; American Airlines; Apple; Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.; Choice Hotels International, Inc., International; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Citigroup Inc.; Deutsche Bank; Glassdoor, Inc.; Intel Corporation; John Hancock; Levi Strauss & Co.; Linden Research, Inc.; Lyft Inc.; Marriott International, Inc.; MassMutual; Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; MongoDB, Inc.; National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; NIO U.S.; PayPal Holdings, Inc.; Pfizer Inc; Postmates Inc; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Prudential Financial, Inc.; Replacements, Ltd.; salesforce.com, inc.; SurveyMonkey; The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.; Uber Technologies, Inc.; WeddingWire, Inc.; Weebly, Inc.; Witeck Communications; and Yelp Inc.
Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is a case pending at the Supreme Court of the United States involving a baker who in 2012 refused to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Last year, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a ruling by the Colorado Court of Appeals that bakery owner Jack Phillips cannot cite religious beliefs or free speech in order to discriminate against same-sex couples. Amicus briefs in support of the same-sex couple and the the Colorado Civil Rights Commission must be filed at the Supreme Court of the United States today. Oral arguments will be heard by the Court on December 5.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
See more headlines about the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site by clicing here
Amicus Briefs Demonstrate Broad Support for Equality in Masterpiece Case
Source: Freedom for All Americans
Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court today indicate broad support for ensuring all Americans – including LGBTQ people – are treated fairly and equally when accessing public businesses. The Court will hear oral argument in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case on December 5th, and businesses large and small, conservatives, people of faith, and municipal leaders from across the country agreed in a series of briefs that businesses open to the public must serve everyone.
At the heart of the Masterpiece case is the question of whether nondiscrimination laws can continue to be enforced without sweeping and dangerous exemptions. The case itself involves a Colorado bakery that refused to sell a cake to a same-sex couple celebrating their civil marriage. This action was in direct violation of Colorado’s nondiscrimination law, and both the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the state appellate court ruled in favor of the couple.
“In seeking an exemption from his obligation to serve everyone equally, the business owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop is asking the Supreme Court to grant him a sweeping license to discriminate,” said Kasey Suffredini, acting CEO and president of strategy at Freedom for All Americans. “The dozens of friend-of-the-court briefs filed this week and signed by thousands of experts, scholars, and organizations showcase the diverse support for equal treatment and fairness for all. Nondiscrimination laws allow states and local governments to protect their residents from unequal treatment. These laws ensure all of us can participate in public life, and nothing should undermine that promise in America.”
FFAA supported the development of multiple briefs filed today – including a faith brief, a municipal leaders brief, and a small business brief. The faith brief features nearly 1,300 clergy from approximately 50 faith traditions across the country, representing half a million congregants. The municipal brief features more than 150 mayors representing 50 million constituents from big cities and smaller municipalities across the country – many of whom were activated through FFAA’s Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination program. And the small business brief features leading small business organizations, including Main Street Alliance and the American Independent Business Alliance. Collectively, more than 61,000 small businesses from across the country are represented on the brief.
“Our work to achieve an America where every single LGBTQ person lives free from discrimination will be enormously impacted by the outcome of this case,” added Suffredini. “As hostile legal challenges wind their way through our courts and the administration seeks to undermine equality, it’s incumbent upon us to share stories that illustrate the devastating consequences of discrimination and mobilize our allies.”
Recently, the Trump Administration announced it would support the bakery in seeking an exemption from the existing nondiscrimination law. The administration’s action is reflective of a larger effort to roll back or eliminate LGBTQ Americans from nondiscrimination protections.
The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Masterpiece on December 5th. For the latest on Masterpiece and other key pieces of litigation, you can visit FFAA’s Litigation Tracker.
Freedom for All Americans is the bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people nationwide. Our work brings together Republicans and Democrats, businesses large and small, people of faith, and allies from all walks of life to make the case for comprehensive nondiscrimination protections that ensure everyone is treated fairly and equally.
See more headlines about the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site by clicing here
Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court today indicate broad support for ensuring all Americans – including LGBTQ people – are treated fairly and equally when accessing public businesses. The Court will hear oral argument in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case on December 5th, and businesses large and small, conservatives, people of faith, and municipal leaders from across the country agreed in a series of briefs that businesses open to the public must serve everyone.
At the heart of the Masterpiece case is the question of whether nondiscrimination laws can continue to be enforced without sweeping and dangerous exemptions. The case itself involves a Colorado bakery that refused to sell a cake to a same-sex couple celebrating their civil marriage. This action was in direct violation of Colorado’s nondiscrimination law, and both the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the state appellate court ruled in favor of the couple.
“In seeking an exemption from his obligation to serve everyone equally, the business owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop is asking the Supreme Court to grant him a sweeping license to discriminate,” said Kasey Suffredini, acting CEO and president of strategy at Freedom for All Americans. “The dozens of friend-of-the-court briefs filed this week and signed by thousands of experts, scholars, and organizations showcase the diverse support for equal treatment and fairness for all. Nondiscrimination laws allow states and local governments to protect their residents from unequal treatment. These laws ensure all of us can participate in public life, and nothing should undermine that promise in America.”
FFAA supported the development of multiple briefs filed today – including a faith brief, a municipal leaders brief, and a small business brief. The faith brief features nearly 1,300 clergy from approximately 50 faith traditions across the country, representing half a million congregants. The municipal brief features more than 150 mayors representing 50 million constituents from big cities and smaller municipalities across the country – many of whom were activated through FFAA’s Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination program. And the small business brief features leading small business organizations, including Main Street Alliance and the American Independent Business Alliance. Collectively, more than 61,000 small businesses from across the country are represented on the brief.
“Our work to achieve an America where every single LGBTQ person lives free from discrimination will be enormously impacted by the outcome of this case,” added Suffredini. “As hostile legal challenges wind their way through our courts and the administration seeks to undermine equality, it’s incumbent upon us to share stories that illustrate the devastating consequences of discrimination and mobilize our allies.”
Recently, the Trump Administration announced it would support the bakery in seeking an exemption from the existing nondiscrimination law. The administration’s action is reflective of a larger effort to roll back or eliminate LGBTQ Americans from nondiscrimination protections.
The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Masterpiece on December 5th. For the latest on Masterpiece and other key pieces of litigation, you can visit FFAA’s Litigation Tracker.
Freedom for All Americans is the bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people nationwide. Our work brings together Republicans and Democrats, businesses large and small, people of faith, and allies from all walks of life to make the case for comprehensive nondiscrimination protections that ensure everyone is treated fairly and equally.
See more headlines about the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site by clicing here
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney Lead Congressional Amicus Brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
Source: Senator Tammy Baldwin - (D - WI)
Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) announced the filing of an Amicus Brief in support of equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and other marginalized groups in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. A ruling for Masterpiece Cakeshop could create a “license to discriminate” allowing businesses to deny service to Americans, including LGBTQ people. Senator Baldwin and Representative Maloney were joined on the brief by 35 Senators and 174 House members.
“I support religious freedom and the freedom of full equality for every American. Our religious beliefs don’t entitle any of us to discriminate against others and I don’t believe that any American should face discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation - whether it’s at a bakery, a hotel, or a doctor’s office,” said Senator Baldwin. “It is simply wrong to discriminate against any American based on who they are or who they love. If an individual has the ability to pay for a service and is not in violation of the law, they should not be turned away.”
“We wouldn’t let a hotel owner refuse a room to a person because of their race or allow a restaurant to deny service to a couple based on their religion – and we can’t let that same kind of discrimination apply to Americans based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Rep. Maloney, a Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. “This is about fairness and the civil rights of all Americans – religion should not be used as a sword to inflict harm on minority groups.”
“If a business is open on main street, it must be open to everyone, regardless of who they are or whom they love,” said Sarah Warbelow, Legal Director, Human Rights Campaign. “It is important for the nation and the Supreme Court to affirm the equal dignity of every single American. Thank you to Senator Baldwin, Congressman Maloney and all of the members of Congress who have spoken up against the type of discrimination at issue in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v the Colorado Civil Rights Commission case.”
“As this friend-of-the-court brief makes clear, a ruling for Masterpiece Cakeshop would be ruling for discrimination, a violation of the Constitutional right to equal treatment under the law,” said Ian Thompson, legislative representative at the ACLU. “It would set a dangerous precedent with implications that go far beyond this case and this couple, jeopardizing long-standing anti-discrimination protections. The ACLU applauds the leadership of Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and the 205 other Members of Congress who joined them to make their commitment to equality clear. No one should ever be refused service by a business that is open to the public simply for who they are or whom they love.”
"In this country we believe in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from discrimination,” said Harper Jean Tobin, Esq., Director of Policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality. “If civil rights laws could be ignored in the name of religion, businesses across the country from hotels to hospitals could put up a 'transgender not welcome' sign. On behalf of the nearly two million Americans who are transgender we thank the Members of Congress who are standing up against a license to discriminate."
In 2012, same-sex couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins were denied a wedding cake by Masterpiece Cakeshop because of their sexual orientation. The shop’s owner, Jack Phillips, cited religious objections to same-sex marriage as a justification for his refusal. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled that the shop could not lawfully deny services to individuals based on their sexual orientation under the Colorado anti-Discrimination Act and required the shop to provide staff training and issue reports on steps taken to come into compliance with the ruling. Masterpiece Cakeshop appealed the ruling, which was eventually upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. The shop appealed the decision, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 5th. If the court finds that a business owner’s religious conviction or expressive intent trumps civil rights laws, it could undermine local, state and federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination an accessing public accommodations.
In the friend-of-the-court brief, signers urge the Supreme Court to affirm the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s initial decision to require Masterpiece Cakeshop to comply with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. The brief considers the history of federal nondiscrimination laws, such as Title II of the Civil Rights Act, and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and how rulings regarding those statutes apply to the pending case. Signers warn that the outcome of the case could have broad implications for the civil rights of groups that already face discrimination and that creating exemptions to public accommodations laws – in this case based on a business’s arguably expressive conduct or religious belief – would undermine the government’s interest in prohibiting discrimination against minority groups.
The brief is supported by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Employment Law Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Women’s Law Center, People for the American Way Foundation, SAGE, Transgender Law Center, Equality California, Equality Delaware, Equality Florida, Equality New Mexico, Equality North Carolina, Garden State Equality, and One Colorado.
A full version of the brief is available here.
See more headlines About the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site
Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) announced the filing of an Amicus Brief in support of equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and other marginalized groups in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. A ruling for Masterpiece Cakeshop could create a “license to discriminate” allowing businesses to deny service to Americans, including LGBTQ people. Senator Baldwin and Representative Maloney were joined on the brief by 35 Senators and 174 House members.
“I support religious freedom and the freedom of full equality for every American. Our religious beliefs don’t entitle any of us to discriminate against others and I don’t believe that any American should face discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation - whether it’s at a bakery, a hotel, or a doctor’s office,” said Senator Baldwin. “It is simply wrong to discriminate against any American based on who they are or who they love. If an individual has the ability to pay for a service and is not in violation of the law, they should not be turned away.”
“We wouldn’t let a hotel owner refuse a room to a person because of their race or allow a restaurant to deny service to a couple based on their religion – and we can’t let that same kind of discrimination apply to Americans based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Rep. Maloney, a Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. “This is about fairness and the civil rights of all Americans – religion should not be used as a sword to inflict harm on minority groups.”
“If a business is open on main street, it must be open to everyone, regardless of who they are or whom they love,” said Sarah Warbelow, Legal Director, Human Rights Campaign. “It is important for the nation and the Supreme Court to affirm the equal dignity of every single American. Thank you to Senator Baldwin, Congressman Maloney and all of the members of Congress who have spoken up against the type of discrimination at issue in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v the Colorado Civil Rights Commission case.”
“As this friend-of-the-court brief makes clear, a ruling for Masterpiece Cakeshop would be ruling for discrimination, a violation of the Constitutional right to equal treatment under the law,” said Ian Thompson, legislative representative at the ACLU. “It would set a dangerous precedent with implications that go far beyond this case and this couple, jeopardizing long-standing anti-discrimination protections. The ACLU applauds the leadership of Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and the 205 other Members of Congress who joined them to make their commitment to equality clear. No one should ever be refused service by a business that is open to the public simply for who they are or whom they love.”
"In this country we believe in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from discrimination,” said Harper Jean Tobin, Esq., Director of Policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality. “If civil rights laws could be ignored in the name of religion, businesses across the country from hotels to hospitals could put up a 'transgender not welcome' sign. On behalf of the nearly two million Americans who are transgender we thank the Members of Congress who are standing up against a license to discriminate."
In 2012, same-sex couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins were denied a wedding cake by Masterpiece Cakeshop because of their sexual orientation. The shop’s owner, Jack Phillips, cited religious objections to same-sex marriage as a justification for his refusal. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled that the shop could not lawfully deny services to individuals based on their sexual orientation under the Colorado anti-Discrimination Act and required the shop to provide staff training and issue reports on steps taken to come into compliance with the ruling. Masterpiece Cakeshop appealed the ruling, which was eventually upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. The shop appealed the decision, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 5th. If the court finds that a business owner’s religious conviction or expressive intent trumps civil rights laws, it could undermine local, state and federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination an accessing public accommodations.
In the friend-of-the-court brief, signers urge the Supreme Court to affirm the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s initial decision to require Masterpiece Cakeshop to comply with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. The brief considers the history of federal nondiscrimination laws, such as Title II of the Civil Rights Act, and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and how rulings regarding those statutes apply to the pending case. Signers warn that the outcome of the case could have broad implications for the civil rights of groups that already face discrimination and that creating exemptions to public accommodations laws – in this case based on a business’s arguably expressive conduct or religious belief – would undermine the government’s interest in prohibiting discrimination against minority groups.
The brief is supported by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Employment Law Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Women’s Law Center, People for the American Way Foundation, SAGE, Transgender Law Center, Equality California, Equality Delaware, Equality Florida, Equality New Mexico, Equality North Carolina, Garden State Equality, and One Colorado.
A full version of the brief is available here.
See more headlines About the Masterpiece Cakeshop at The Ponder News Web Site
Friday, September 8, 2017
LEGAL BRIEF TO U.S. SUPREME COURT: CAKE BAKER’S PUNISHMENT FOR MARRIAGE VIEWS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Source: Texas Values
Austin, TX - September 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Texas Values today joined 32 state family policy organizations from across the country supporting a Colorado cake shop owner who is being forced by the government to make a cake with a specific theme: celebrating a same-sex wedding ceremony.
The Colorado government entity also required the owner, Jack Phillips, to re-educate his staff, most of whom are his family members—essentially telling them that he was wrong to operate his business according to his faith. He must also report to the government for two years, describing all cakes that he declines to create and the reasons why. As a result of this ruling, Phillips has lost an estimated 40 percent of his business.
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed for the U.S. Supreme Court case Craig v. Masterpiece Cakeshop, Texas Values argues that legal decisions against the defendant, Phillips, undermines a constitutional firewall against compelled speech and will drive from the marketplace creative professionals who dissent from state-mandated orthodoxy on matters of ‘politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.’”
Said Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values:
“The First Amendment protect religious liberty and freedom of speech and by no means gives government power to compel artists such as Jack Phillips to express someone else’s message, particularly on an issue such as marriage that has been widely debated in our country. We Texans are proud of our heritage of individual liberty, and we urge the High Court to stand up for our first freedoms by upholding Mr. Phillips’s right to express himself – or to choose not to express himself – according to the dictates of his own conscience, and not based on force by the government.”
Click here to see the legal brief.
The Colorado Supreme Court declined to take the case after the state’s Court of Appeals affirmed a Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision from May 2014. That decision ordered Phillips and his employees to design custom cakes that celebrate same-sex ceremonies if the shop designs cakes for opposite-sex ceremonies
In July 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked Phillips to design a wedding cake to celebrate their same-sex ceremony. In an exchange lasting about 30 seconds, Phillips politely declined, explaining that he would gladly make them any other type of baked item they wanted, but that he could not design a cake promoting a same-sex ceremony. Phillips regularly declines opportunities to create custom cakes for events that violate his convictions, including Halloween cakes, anti-American cakes, adult-themed cakes, cakes containing alcohol, and cakes that would disparage others.
Craig and Mullins, now represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, picketed Phillips and filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which eventually ruled against Phillips. The same-sex couple was easily able to obtain their desired rainbow-themed cake for free from another nearby cake artist.
In contrast to the ruling against Phillips, the commission found in 2015 that three other Denver cake artists were not guilty of creed discrimination when they declined a Christian customer’s request for a cake that reflected his religious opposition to same-sex marriage. The commission found those bakers had the right not to create custom cakes based on the requested message.
More about the background of the case here.
National Review Senior Fellow and former prospective Presidential candidate David French is legal author for the brief.
Texas Values is a nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas.
Related News: Life Legal Files Joint Amicus Brief with SCOTUS in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
Austin, TX - September 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Texas Values today joined 32 state family policy organizations from across the country supporting a Colorado cake shop owner who is being forced by the government to make a cake with a specific theme: celebrating a same-sex wedding ceremony.
The Colorado government entity also required the owner, Jack Phillips, to re-educate his staff, most of whom are his family members—essentially telling them that he was wrong to operate his business according to his faith. He must also report to the government for two years, describing all cakes that he declines to create and the reasons why. As a result of this ruling, Phillips has lost an estimated 40 percent of his business.
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed for the U.S. Supreme Court case Craig v. Masterpiece Cakeshop, Texas Values argues that legal decisions against the defendant, Phillips, undermines a constitutional firewall against compelled speech and will drive from the marketplace creative professionals who dissent from state-mandated orthodoxy on matters of ‘politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.’”
Said Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values:
“The First Amendment protect religious liberty and freedom of speech and by no means gives government power to compel artists such as Jack Phillips to express someone else’s message, particularly on an issue such as marriage that has been widely debated in our country. We Texans are proud of our heritage of individual liberty, and we urge the High Court to stand up for our first freedoms by upholding Mr. Phillips’s right to express himself – or to choose not to express himself – according to the dictates of his own conscience, and not based on force by the government.”
Click here to see the legal brief.
The Colorado Supreme Court declined to take the case after the state’s Court of Appeals affirmed a Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision from May 2014. That decision ordered Phillips and his employees to design custom cakes that celebrate same-sex ceremonies if the shop designs cakes for opposite-sex ceremonies
In July 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked Phillips to design a wedding cake to celebrate their same-sex ceremony. In an exchange lasting about 30 seconds, Phillips politely declined, explaining that he would gladly make them any other type of baked item they wanted, but that he could not design a cake promoting a same-sex ceremony. Phillips regularly declines opportunities to create custom cakes for events that violate his convictions, including Halloween cakes, anti-American cakes, adult-themed cakes, cakes containing alcohol, and cakes that would disparage others.
Craig and Mullins, now represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, picketed Phillips and filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which eventually ruled against Phillips. The same-sex couple was easily able to obtain their desired rainbow-themed cake for free from another nearby cake artist.
In contrast to the ruling against Phillips, the commission found in 2015 that three other Denver cake artists were not guilty of creed discrimination when they declined a Christian customer’s request for a cake that reflected his religious opposition to same-sex marriage. The commission found those bakers had the right not to create custom cakes based on the requested message.
More about the background of the case here.
National Review Senior Fellow and former prospective Presidential candidate David French is legal author for the brief.
Texas Values is a nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas.
Related News: Life Legal Files Joint Amicus Brief with SCOTUS in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
Life Legal Files Joint Amicus Brief with SCOTUS in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
Source: Life Legal Defense Foundation
Washington, D.C. - September 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Life Legal has collaborated with the Bioethics Defense Fund in an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court yesterday in Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The brief was written on behalf of the American College of Pediatricians and other pro-life health professionals.
As you may be aware, the Masterpiece case involves a baker who was asked to create a cake for the wedding of a same-sex couple. The baker, Jack Phillips, said he could not use his artistic talents to give approval to a marriage that violated his religious beliefs. In response, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission said Phillips' religious beliefs were illegal and prohibited him from designing any wedding cakes, which resulted in the loss of 40% of his business. The Commission imposed draconian reporting requirements on Phillips, forcing him to provide a detailed account of the reasons for any orders he declines.
So why would Life Legal, a pro-life law firm, file a Supreme Court brief in support of a baker?
If the State of Colorado can destroy Phillips' business because he chooses not to use his skills to create a product that expresses the state's sentiment on a controversial issue, what is to stop a state from forcing any professional to violate his or her deeply held belief in furtherance of the state's viewpoint?
Our concern is that the Masterpiece Cakeshop case is "likely to have rapid and lasting impact on the rights of medical professionals to practice their professions consistently with their consciences and the teachings of their faiths on issues of life and death—or indeed to practice their professions at all."
"Masterpiece Cakeshop has enormous implications for the First Amendment rights of everyone in the workplace, especially those whose deeply held beliefs require them to opt out of certain practices," said Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director Alexandra Snyder. "We have seen increasing pressure on health care professionals, in particular, to perform or facilitate abortions or risk losing their livelihoods. Life Legal trusts that the Supreme Court will adhere to precedent in guarding First Amendment freedoms, including protections against laws compelling speech and activities that violate religious and conscience objections."
Click here to read the brief
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation.
Washington, D.C. - September 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Life Legal has collaborated with the Bioethics Defense Fund in an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court yesterday in Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The brief was written on behalf of the American College of Pediatricians and other pro-life health professionals.
As you may be aware, the Masterpiece case involves a baker who was asked to create a cake for the wedding of a same-sex couple. The baker, Jack Phillips, said he could not use his artistic talents to give approval to a marriage that violated his religious beliefs. In response, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission said Phillips' religious beliefs were illegal and prohibited him from designing any wedding cakes, which resulted in the loss of 40% of his business. The Commission imposed draconian reporting requirements on Phillips, forcing him to provide a detailed account of the reasons for any orders he declines.
So why would Life Legal, a pro-life law firm, file a Supreme Court brief in support of a baker?
If the State of Colorado can destroy Phillips' business because he chooses not to use his skills to create a product that expresses the state's sentiment on a controversial issue, what is to stop a state from forcing any professional to violate his or her deeply held belief in furtherance of the state's viewpoint?
Our concern is that the Masterpiece Cakeshop case is "likely to have rapid and lasting impact on the rights of medical professionals to practice their professions consistently with their consciences and the teachings of their faiths on issues of life and death—or indeed to practice their professions at all."
"Masterpiece Cakeshop has enormous implications for the First Amendment rights of everyone in the workplace, especially those whose deeply held beliefs require them to opt out of certain practices," said Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director Alexandra Snyder. "We have seen increasing pressure on health care professionals, in particular, to perform or facilitate abortions or risk losing their livelihoods. Life Legal trusts that the Supreme Court will adhere to precedent in guarding First Amendment freedoms, including protections against laws compelling speech and activities that violate religious and conscience objections."
Click here to read the brief
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation.
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