[5]
By Faith News Note:
The United States Supreme Court decided not to hear the Oregon case (Sweet Cakes by Melissa owners Melissa and Aaron Klein versus the denied couple Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer). They instead told the Oregon appeals court to look at the case again which the court has decided [6] to do.
OPB explains [7] the Oregon Attorney General’s comments:
“Oregon’s Attorney General also claimed a partial victory. In its briefs, the state had argued that the case posed no constitutional issues the Supreme Court needed to address. Attorneys for the Kleins by contrast had argued that the Supreme Court should take the case as an opportunity to reconsider a 1990 decision that narrowed the scope of religious freedom claims. The high court declined to do that.“We are pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court chose to send this case back to the state courts,” said Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in a brief statement. “We look forward to returning to the Oregon Court of Appeals, where we will continue to defend the constitutionality of Oregon’s laws that require bakeries and other places of public accommodation to serve all customers regardless of sexual orientation.”
The First Liberty [8] organization representing the Klein’s issued this statement:
“…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.“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.”