Jack Phillips, a Christian baker and owner of a cake shop who prevailed in a Supreme Court case in June, has sued Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and state civil rights officials over claims that they have reignited their religious persecution against him.
Philips filed the lawsuit late Tuesday in U.S. District Court against Hickenlooper, according the Denver Post.
According to the new lawsuit, on the same day of Philips’s win from the high court, a lawyer asked Philips to make a cake celebrating gender-transition. After Philips declined the request due to his religious beliefs, the state of Colorado found probable cause to believe that Colorado law would require Philips to bake the cake.
[Colorado baker: People from all over ‘thrilled’ by Supreme Court’s ruling in wedding cake case]
“The state of Colorado is ignoring the message of the U.S. Supreme Court by continuing to single out Jack for punishment and to exhibit hostility toward his religious beliefs,” Alliance Defending Freedom senior vice president of U.S. Legal Division Kristen Waggoner said.
“Even though Jack serves all customers and simply declines to create custom cakes that express messages or celebrate events in violation of his deeply held beliefs, the government is intent on destroying him — something the Supreme Court has already told it not to do. Neither Jack nor any other creative professionals should be targeted by the government for living consistently with their religious beliefs.” Waggoner continued.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 for Philips, who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The court issued a narrow ruling that didn’t address whether Phillips has the right to refuse someone a cake for a same-sex wedding, and instead found that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission failed to act neutrally toward his religion as it considered his complaint.
Writing for the majority, now-retired Justice Anthony Kennedy argued the “commission’s treatment of Phillips’ case violated the state’s duty under the First Amendment not to base laws or regulations on hostility to a religion or religious viewpoint. [T]he record here demonstrates that the commission’s consideration of Phillips’ case was neither tolerant nor respectful of Phillips’ religious beliefs,” Kennedy wrote.
Philips and his attorneys at ADF filed the recent lawsuit in defense of his constitutional free exercise, speech, and equal protection rights.
