Bakers Cause a Stir at SCOTUS
by Tony Perkins, FRC:
When baker Jack Phillips won his case at the U.S. Supreme Court, it was a huge victory for religious liberty — but it was just one slice of the pie. Christians like Aaron and Melissa Klein were thrilled for Jack when the June ruling came down, but not because it meant the end of their own battle. After five long, exhausting years, they’re still fighting for the right to live out their faith — and hoping this latest appeal will finally give them that chance.
For Christians in the wedding industry, the persecution has almost become a bonding experience. “We know what it is like to be treated unfairly by a state agency and mocked, threatened, and abused by critics,” Aaron and Melissa explained when the Masterpiece Cakes decision came down. They’ve grown close to Jack, Barronelle Stutzman, and so many others who’ve lost their businesses, their reputations, and tens of thousands of dollars for making the hard choice to turn down custom orders for same-sex weddings. After the latest setback at the Oregon Supreme Court, Melissa was emotional when she talked to reporters. “I loved my shop, and losing it has been so hard for me and my family… That was a part of our life, and it was something that we thought was going to be passed down to our kids. It’s something that I miss every day still.”
For the parents of five, there’s only one place that can give them their lives back: the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s the final stop on a half-decade long legal journey. And First Liberty Institute, who’s been representing the Kleins, understands exactly how many cases are riding on it. “I think everybody thought this was going to be decided in the Jack Phillips’s case,” President Kelly Shackelford told me yesterday on “Washington Watch.”
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