AMNA NAWAZ: A Christian baker in Colorado who turned away a same-sex couple should not
be penalized.
That was the judgment from the U.S. Supreme Court today in one of the highest-profile
cases of this term.
The 7-2 decision was a significant, but narrowly tailored victory for advocates of religious
freedom.
The court ruled in favor of Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refused to design a wedding
cake for a same-sex couple.
Advocates on both sides reacted to the news this morning:
MICHAEL FARRIS, President, Alliance Defending Freedom: Justice Kennedy's opinion can be
summed up as tolerance is a two-way street.
Religious freedom is to be respected, just as he's respect gay rights decisions in many
other contexts.
WOMAN: We are saddened, but we're not shocked.
And, really, the case is a loss, but it's a narrow loss.
It's a limited loss.
AMNA NAWAZ: Six years ago, when Charlie Craig and David Mullins were planning their wedding,
they visited Phillips' cake shop.
DAVID MULLINS, Plaintiff: As soon as we sat down with the owner, he asked who the cake
was for and we told him it was for us.
JACK PHILLIPS, Owner, Masterpiece Cakeshop: So, I'm thinking, OK, how can I politely tell
these guys that's an event that I can't participate in?
I said, I will make you a birthday cake, cookies, brownies.
I will sell you anything in the shop.
It's just an event that I can't create a cake for.
CHARLIE CRAIG, Plaintiff: When we left the bakery, we cried together.
You know, it was really emotional.
It was really sad.
AMNA NAWAZ: Last year, Phillips told the "NewsHour" that designing the wedding cake would have
violated his religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
JACK PHILLIPS: All I'm trying to do is use my art, use my craft to create cakes to help
people celebrate special occasions in their life.
I never turn anybody away, just events that I turn away.
AMNA NAWAZ: But the couple claimed the baker discriminated against them based on their
sexual orientation.
DAVID MULLINS: He turned us away because of who we are and because of who we love.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mullins and Craig brought their complaint to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission,
who sided with the couple.
But today, justice Anthony Kennedy disagreed.
He ruled the commission didn't act as a neutral party, that it had been hostile to the cake
maker's religious beliefs.
The decision didn't resolve the issue of whether a business may ever invoke religion to refuse
service to gays and lesbians.
We will talk about the significance of the decision after the news summary.