Supreme Court set to announce decision on Christian bakery in ‘gay cake’ case

Oct 4, 2018 by Andrew Symes

from Premier.

The UK’s highest court is to rule next week on whether the Christian owners of a bakery discriminated against a customer by refusing to make a cake decorated with the words “Support Gay Marriage”.

Five Supreme Court justices will announce their decision in London on Wednesday 10th October.

Their ruling follows the latest round of a legal action brought against family-run Ashers bakery in Belfast by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who won his case initially in the county court and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.

The bakery went on to fight the finding of discrimination at a Supreme Court hearing in Belfast in May.

Owners Daniel and Amy McArthur have said the law risked “extinguishing” their consciences.

During the Supreme Court proceedings, the panel of justices including president Lady Hale, were told that the owners were being forced to act against their religious beliefs.

David Scoffield QC, for Ashers, argued that the state is penalising the baking firm, with the courts effectively compelling or forcing them to make a cake bearing a message with which they disagree as a matter of religious conscience.

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