Many religious liberty advocates were thrilled with last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which seemingly vindicated a Colorado baker who declined to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, citing his Christian beliefs. A recent decision by an Arizona appellate court, however, indicates any celebration is premature. Last Thursday, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled against Joanna Duka and Breanna
Koski, owners of Brush & Nib Studio, a small wedding invitation business founded on Christian principles. The June 8 decision upholds a Phoenix law that makes it illegal for business owners to deny service to same-sex couples on the basis of religion. “We have previously found that eliminating discrimination constitutes a compelling interest,” Judge Lawrence Winthrop wrote, noting that “anti-discrimination ordinances are not aimed at the suppression of speech but at the elimination of discriminatory conduct.” CONTINUE
