Jack Phillips’s legal battles began in 2012 when he declined a request to make a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding ceremony. After six years of legal battles, the Supreme Court granted him a narrow victory, ruling that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had treated him unfairly. A week ago, he was back in court, once again facing harassment from LGBT activists for acting in accordance with his religious convictions.
The day that the Supreme Court agreed to hear his case in 2017, Phillips received a request from Autumn Scardina, a man who identifies as a woman, for a cake celebrating Scardina’s gender “transition.” Phillips refused. Phillips has declined many other requests over the years, including cakes promoting racism, cakes with atheist messages, and cakes celebrating divorce. In other words, he has consistently stood for his beliefs and his principles, refusing to use his skills to create or promote messages that go against his beliefs.
Kristen Waggoner, general counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom rightly points out that Scardina’s request was a setup, and Phillips told Fox News that Scardina said in November of 2020 that if the case was rejected or dismissed, Scardina would come back again to request another cake and file another lawsuit against Phillips.
The endless litigation against Jack Phillips is nothing less than harassment meant to break him down and send a message to anyone who would stand up for their freedom to operate their business in accordance with their convictions. As National Review’s Andrew C. McCarthy put it, “the process is the penalty.” Even as Jack receives narrow victories in court, ongoing legal battles cost him valuable work hours, over half his employees, and a significant hit to his business, not to mention the harassment he has faced for standing for his beliefs. The Supreme Court’s narrow ruling in Phillips’s favor left the door open for further legal challenges, and LGBT activists have seized the opportunity in hopes of wearing him down.
McCarthy pointed out that a very similar situation unfolded in the Little Sisters of the Poor case — a narrow victory left room for further targeting of religious groups. Lawsuits have become a weapon against individuals and groups who choose to stand for their religious convictions. If the Equality Act passes, we will only continue to see more of these cases.
The right to live and act in accordance with one’s beliefs is essential to religious freedom. No one should be compelled to promote a message that violates their religious beliefs, nor should they face ongoing legal harassment for standing up for what they believe. The court needs to give Jack Phillips a decisive win that will preserve the religious freedom and conscience protections for all Americans.
(Image: Youtube, Alliance Defending Freedom)
