Supremely Sweet Victory for Sweet Cakes: US Supreme Court Reverses Oregon's Decision to Penalize Bakers for Exercising Free Speech

News Staff : Jun 17, 2019
First Liberty

"This is a victory for Aaron and Melissa Klein and for religious liberty for all Americans. The Constitution protects speech, popular or not, from condemnation by the government. The message from the Court is clear, government hostility toward religious Americans will not be tolerated." -Kelly Shackelford, First Liberty President and CEO

(Washington, DC) — [FirstLiberty.org] Today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it reversed a decision the state of Oregon that forced bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein out of business by penalizing them $135,000 for refusing to create a government-approved message. The case was sent back to the Oregon courts for further review in light of its Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Kleins are represented by First Liberty Institute and Boyden Gray & Associates. (Image: Melissa and Aaron Klein-Facebook/via The Stream)

"This is a victory for Aaron and Melissa Klein and for religious liberty for all Americans," said Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, and Chief Counsel to First Liberty. "The Constitution protects speech, popular or not, from condemnation by the government. The message from the Court is clear, government hostility toward religious Americans will not be tolerated."

Former Ambassador to the European Union, C. Boyden Gray and Adam Gustafson, of Boyden Gray & Associates, First Liberty network attorneys, are the lead appellate counsel for the case.

In Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the Justices reminded government officials that they cannot be hostile to the free exercise of the religious beliefs of its citizens. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here