By NATAN EHRENREICH | National Review
America’s favorite baker, Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop, is back in front of the Colorado Supreme Court today for yet another round of state-sponsored persecution. The question before the court: Does the First Amendment apply in Colorado, or can the state continue to harass, target, and bully speakers who don’t ascend to the state’s view of cultural issues, in direct contradiction of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings?
That is not hyperbole. The Supreme Court already ruled once that Colorado unconstitutionally targeted Phillips for his religious beliefs. It also ruled a year ago that the application of Colorado law to compel speech violates the 1st Amendment. One might believe that Colorado didn’t get the message, but that’s false. It did — it simply chose to ignore it. A Colorado trial court already ruled that Phillips must bake a cake celebrating a “gender transition.” An appeals court agreed. Now, Colorado’s highest court — the same one that kicked Donald Trump off the state’s ballot before the Supreme Court unanimously reversed — will decide what comes next for Phillips.