Jack Phillips, the baker who won a partial victory at the Supreme Court after he refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, is challenging a ruling that he violated the state’ anti-discrimination law.
His lawyer argued that the court should overturn a decision made last year in a case brought by a transgender woman.
Autumn Scardina, a transgender woman, asked the Cake Shop for a birthday cake that had pink and blue frosting on the outside and a blue inside to celebrate her transition.
During his trial last year, Phillips, who is a Christian, said he did not think people could change their genders. He also stated that he would not make a cake for someone who thought that they could change their identities.
Jake Warner, an attorney for a conservative Christian legal group, said the ruling was wrong.
He argued that forcing him to create a message that he did not agree with violated his free speech rights.
Judge Timothy Schutz noted that prior to Scardina’s request, Phillips’ wife told her that the bakery could make the cake.
John McHugh, one of Scardina’s lawyers, noted that her client did not ask the bakery to endorse her idea. She merely asked for a cake that they could sell to anyone else.
He said that the client’s instructions to Phillips cannot be used to determine if he makes a cake for someone else.
Both Phillips and Scardina spoke outside the court, where they discussed the larger issues involved. For Scardina, the case was about the rule of law and the rights of LGBTQ individuals.
For Phillips, the case was about the freedom of individuals to live their consciences without fear of punishment.
