Supreme Court delivers narrow ruling in favor of baker in same-sex wedding case

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Christian baker in Colorado who refused to make a custom cake for a same-sex couple, but the court punted on spelling out how far the government can go to prevent sexual-orientation discrimination in the marketplace.

Writing for the court’s majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated the baker’s rights by showing "hostility" to his religious beliefs in a proceeding in which he was found to have violated the law and was ordered to anti-discrimination training.

The high court’s 7-2 ruling in the closely watched case left open the question of how a state enforcing anti-discrimination laws in a more neutral fashion would have to accommodate individuals’ rights to religious freedom and free expression.

The court’s two most liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, dissented. They said they would have upheld the state’s action against the baker.

The original story can be found here.