Free Republic

At Tuesday’s oral argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission—which will decide whether baker Jack Phillips can be forced by the state to design and create a cake celebrating a same sex wedding—it became apparent quite early on that the Court was grappling not merely with Jack’s case, but with a number of potential conflicts between religious freedom and same-sex marriage on its hands.Recognizing that the issues Jack faces in this case are sure to arise again, the justices struggled with where to draw the line for a constitutional rule which will protect First Amendment rights in light...

"Whatever the confluence of speech and free exercise principles might be in some cases, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission's consideration of this case was inconsistent with the State's obligation of religious neutrality. The reason and motive for the baker's refusal were based on his sincere religious beliefs and convictions." link to decision https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-111_j4el.pdf

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. While the decision ends an almost six-year legal battle, a new journey begins. This nation stands at the proverbial fork in the road. One path will lead us closer to a society controlled by hostility — one in which those who hold the dominant view in society will use government as a weapon to punish individuals who fail to adopt the prevailing orthodoxy. The other path will move us toward a truly tolerant society — one with room for individuals who believe,...

That case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, takes aim at a Colorado law that bars discrimination based on perceived sexual orientation in places serving the public. Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, says the law violates his free speech rights by forcing him to “create expression that violates his sincerely held beliefs about marriage.” The dispute has attracted a lot of attention from the business community, including an amicus brief signed by 35 companies including Amazon (AMZN), Pfizer (PFE), and Apple (AAPL), which asked the court to rule against Phillips. Another group with an interest in the...

Progressives in the media have no respect for the traditions and structure of the branches of the government. As soon as one issues a decision based on anything but liberal ideology, the world is over. After the Supreme Court released their decision in the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop LTD. vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in favor of the baker, Jack Phillips, the media went on a rampage. Liberal book publisher Haymarket Books tweeted out on its verified account almost immediately after the ruling was released, “Abolish the Supreme Court.”

Tolerance, it appears, is not a one-way street. Since the rise of the gay-marriage movement, it has become fashionable to decry dissenters as haters and bigots, to attempt to write them out of polite society in the same way that the larger American body politic has rightfully rejected the Klan. Politicians thunder against Christian bigots. Media organizations put the words “religious liberty” in scare quotes, as if the expression of deeply held religious beliefs is a mere pretext, used to conceal darker motivations. And ideologues in state agencies give full vent to their rage, mocking faithful Christians as if they...

Although the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Colorado Christian baker Jack Phillips, the court did not definitively rule whether baking a cake for a same-sex wedding constitutes speech and still leaves questions about how other cases involving Christian business owners and same-sex weddings will play out, lawyers say. The nation's high court ruled 7-2 on Monday in favor of the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, who faced backlash from the Colorado government after he refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding in 2012. Although Phillips' six-year legal battle has seemingly come to an end,...

It was supposed to be one of the biggest political showdowns in Kentucky this fall: Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, running against David Ermold, the gay man she denied a marriage license to three years ago. That moment, caught on camera, set off a red-hot culture war over the summer of 2015 in this quiet corner of Appalachia. Since Mr. Ermold announced he was running for county clerk in December, he raised more than $200,000 from around the country and drew supporters far and wide. This was a campaign, he said in an interview before the primary, for...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The news of Ben and Rene Ruiz's deaths come as a shock for the many people who described the couple as happy, loving and groundbreaking in the gay community. Houston police say the men, who were in the midst of a divorce, died in a murder-suicide inside a million-dollar home near the Galleria. Their bodies were discovered Thursday inside a bathroom at their home on Markham Street near Weslayan. "It's not truly set in yet," said Ben's longtime friend, Edward Sanchez. "I think deep down inside I'm waiting to hear from him." Sanchez said the couple...

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, support for same-sex marriage has increased substantially. Currently, more than six in ten (61%) Americans say gay and lesbian couples should be able to marry legally, while only about half as many (30%) are opposed. Strength of support for same-sex marriage has increased dramatically over the past decade, while strength of opposition has fallen in nearly equal measure. Today, Americans who strongly favor same-sex marriage outnumber those who strongly oppose it by more than a two-to-one margin (30% vs. 14%). In 2007,...

I really just felt the need to vent right now. The other day on twitter I noticed an ad for a drama documentary about the same sex marriage in my country Ireland showed up in my twitter feed. I looked at the description; "A drama documentary for Stage based on the true stories & struggles leading up to the Marriage Equality Referendum" which set me off so I posted this reply: '“Struggles” “equality” Yeah traditional marriage was such a plight on this country.' And so I left it at that. Then earlier on this day I received this reply from...

Full Title: EXCLUSIVE: Lesbian couple who plunged to their deaths with their six adoptive black children fled their Minnesota home after the Ku Klux Klan left a burning cross in their yard, neighbor reveals The lesbian couple who died alongside at least three of their adopted children when their truck inexplicably drove off a California cliff had fled a former home after being targeted by the Ku Klux Klan, it has been claimed. Married Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, were living in Alexandria, Minnesota when they and their African American youngsters allegedly became a target of the hate group,...

FULL TITLE: EXCLUSIVE: How Lesbian mother who plunged off Pacific Highway admitted she 'let anger get out of control' after six-year-old daughter told teacher she had ‘owies’ on her tummy and her back after her mommy hit her One of the lesbian mothers who were found dead on Monday alongside three of their six adopted children after plunging off a cliff in California was previously arrested for assaulting her six-year-old daughter. Court documents exclusively obtained by the DailyMail.com show that Sarah Hart was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and malicious punishment of a child December 27, 2010, when...

The sheriff said that nothing at this point indicates that the crash was intentional however investigators on the scene didn't find any skid or brake marks in the road where the car went over. Allmon pleaded for the public's help in piecing together the family's whereabouts in the days before the crash. He added that a witness called 911 about the incident but it wasn't clear when the SUV actually plunged over the ledge. Appearances at the home indicated that the Harts were on a short road trip, as they left behind several personal belongings as well as chickens and...

Conor McGinn said he was 'living the message of the gospel in this Holy Week'A Catholic Labour MP has introduced a bill that would legalise same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, saying that he is “living the message of the gospel in this Holy Week”. Conor McGinn, who was born in Northern Ireland but currently represents St Helens North in northern England, described himself as a practicing Catholic and hinted that God would approve of the bill. “I am a practicing Catholic, now my parish priest would undoubtedly say that I probably need to practice a little bit more,” he joked....

Adam Rippon is back in the news, this time from rumors that he is producing a reality show with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. The news is likely to ruffle some feathers, as Rippon has become a polarizing figure — perhaps unfairly. Rippon, 28, is a 2018 Winter Olympics athlete and medalist. He received significant attention for being one of the first openly gay athletes to represent Team USA at a Winter Olympics and the first openly gay male athlete to win a medal in a Winter Olympics. But throughout the Olympics, it seemed as though Rippon made headlines just...

TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said he is concerned Irish whiskey could be targeted as part of the escalating trade war between the US and the EU. Speaking on the first day of his week-long visit to the US, Mr Varadkar said when he hears the EU threaten to put import tariffs on US bourbon, it concerns him that Irish whiskey could also be hit with tariffs. “When I hear bourbon whiskey I think the next response could be tariffs against Irish whiskey,” he said. Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Mr Varadkar warned that a cross-Atlantic...

Gayle Myrick, a 68-year-old grandmother of three, loved her job as a magistrate in North Carolina. For almost five years, she set bonds, issued warrants, and granted protective orders to domestic violence victims, all while offering a message of hope to individuals in a tough spot.“You can start over every day,” Gayle would tell the Americans who came before her. “You don’t have to be in this situation forever. There’s plenty of people that want to help you.”She especially loved presiding over marriage ceremonies.“Presiding over two people committing their lives to each other filled me with so much joy...

Once again, the left is expressing outrage over "politically-incorrect" Catholic teaching and practice. From the Miami Herald: First-grade teacher Jocelyn Morffi lost her job at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School on Thursday, the day after she returned from her [same-sex] wedding [sic] in the Florida Keys[.] ... After judges in Florida lifted the state's ban on same-sex marriage [sic] in 2015, Archbishop Thomas Wenski sent a memo to employees reminding them of the Archdiocese of Miami's policy.  All employees, including school teachers, are considered church representatives and are expected to abide by Catholic teachings, the memo said.  Any conduct 'inconsistent' with...

Gayle Myrick, an evangelical Christian and former magistrate who was forced out after she refused to perform civil marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs, has been awarded $300,000 by the state of North Carolina in a settlement agreement. (Photo: Reuters/Davis Turner)Jesus Hernandez (L) and Oscar Hull (C) are married outside of Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds office in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 13, 2014. Monday was the first day that Mecklenburg County issued marriage licenses to gay couples.The settlement amount includes $122,660 in back pay, according to her lawyers at Becket, a Washington-based nonprofit.The settlement comes a...