The Supreme Court today ruled for a Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, but did so by finding fault with a state agency’s process, and sidestepped the issue of whether businesses can discriminate against LGBQT people based on religious beliefs.
This case was widely expected to answer that contentious issue. But it’s standard practice for the Supreme Court to avoid resolving constitutional issues when a case can be decided on procedural grounds.
The Court overturned a Colorado court decision affirming a ruling by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission against the baker, saying the CCRC failed to enforce Colorado’s anti-discrimination law in a religion-neutral manner. But the decision leaves the law’s protections for gay people intact, at least for now.
The vote was 7-2, with two liberal justices joining the Court’s 5-member conservative majority. Read story here.