Same-Sex Cakes: Should Twin Falls Bakers Be Forced To Comply?

By now you've heard the news. A cake shop owner in Lakewood, Colorado, just won a Supreme Court case involving same-sex marriages. The owner's refusal to make a wedding cake for two men resulted in the case drawing world wide attention.

Long story short, a cake shop owner and baker named Jack Phillips, refused in 2012 to design a cake for two men who visited his store with plans on becoming married. Phillips refused, claiming his religious beliefs were the reason why. This week, six years after the fact, the Supreme Court overwhelmingly (7-2) ruled in favor of Phillips.

The Masterpiece Cake Shop's Facebook page has been getting riddled with messages of both hate and support since the story became known to the public. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals from having their religious beliefs stripped from them by Congress, which was the basis for the outcome.

The Colorado Civil Rights Commission pursued legal action against Phillips in 2017, which is detailed in the case syllabus. Again, the Supreme Court decided Phillips had the right to refuse service based on his religious beliefs.

Should business owners not committed to a specific religion be forced to comply? Or, should they have the right to make their own rules. Do you think justice was served in this case?