The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has been asked to weigh in on a lawsuit filed by a Christian baker in California who hopes to protect her right to refuse providing services that celebrate same-sex couples.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the firm acting as co-counsel in the case, stated in a press release that Cathy Miller is a baker who creates custom baked goods, including wedding cakes. Consistent with her Christian beliefs, Miller refuses custom orders that include LGBT themes. She also declines requests for items that include violence, pornography, drug use, or content that demeans others.
California began investigating Miller in 2017 after she told a same-sex couple that she could not create a cake for their “wedding” and offered to put them in touch with a different custom baker instead. According to Becket, Miller’s business received backlash on social media, and she received death threats and harassing emails and calls.
Though a trial court ruled that Miller’s action was motivated by “fidelity to her sincere Christian beliefs,” thus not violating California’s anti-discrimination law, the state Civil Rights Department continued to prosecute Miller. An appeals court ruled against Miller in February, prompting her to appeal to SCOTUS.
Miller filed a petition with SCOTUS in August. The court’s decision on whether to hear her case is still pending.
“I’m asking the Court to end California’s harassment once and for all,” Miller stated in the release. “All I want is to serve my neighbors as the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls me to without being forced to create messages that violate my beliefs.”
Adèle Keim, senior counsel at Becket, urged SCOTUS to “put a stop to this bullying campaign and let Cathy design in peace.”
Miller’s suit mirrors previous SCOTUS cases, including 303 Creative v. Elenis, Emilee Carpenter Photography v. James and Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. In each of the cases, Christian business owners refused to violate their religious beliefs by providing services that celebrate same-sex couples. SCOTUS upheld the plaintiffs’ religious freedom and free speech rights in every case.