Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a multistate amicus brief in support of religious liberty, in a case that is pending in the Colorado Court of Appeals. Scardina v. Masterpiece Cakeshop is the second case brought against Jack Phillips, a baker, under state public accommodation laws—this time because he refused on religious grounds to make a custom cake celebrating a customer’s gender transition. The previous case against Mr. Phillips was resolved in his favor by the United States Supreme Court. The amicus brief argues that the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause prevents the government from enforcing state laws that interfere with Americans’ exercise of their religious beliefs.
“The federal government cannot attack certain religious practices and overburden our way of life under the guise of public accommodation. We are a country where people of various faiths share the common goal of freedom and that must be protected,” Attorney General Paxton said. “I will continue to fight for the religious liberty of every Texan.”
Read the Amicus Brief here.