WASHINGTON — It’s a case that pits a baker who’s a devout Christian against a same-sex couple who asked him to make their wedding cake. The baker said no.
“He asked us who the cake was for and when we said it was for us, he said he would not make a cake for a same sex wedding.”
In 2012, Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig were planning a celebration after they were married in Massachusetts.
They were shocked that Masterpiece Cakeshop refused their business.
“I have to be honest, I started to break down and I cried,” said Craig.
Jack Phillips is the bakery’s owner.
“I tried to respectfully apologize that I couldn’t create this cake,” he said. “I would gladly sell you anything in my shop but this is just an event that I can’t create a cake for.”
Phillips said he was exercising his constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of religion, but Mullins and Craig filed a discrimination complaint and won.
Phillips lost several appeals before the Supreme Court agreed to take the case. The justices will now have to decide if the first amendment can outweigh the right to equal treatment.
This case has attracted considerable attention from both sides of the debate. People even camped out overnight for a chance to be in the courtroom during the arguments.