California baker need not sell same-sex wedding cake, says court

Robert Besser
25 Oct 2022, 12:45 GMT+10

A California bakery has won a court case in which a judge ruled that the state could not penalize a business for refusing to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple
Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield had been sued by the state Department of Fair Housing and Employment, claiming that owner Cathy Miller intentionally discriminated against the couple
However, Miller claimed that her right to free speech and free expression of religion took priority over the argument that she violated the anti-discrimination law

BAKERSFIELD, California: A California bakery has won a court case in which a judge ruled that the state could not penalize the business for refusing to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple because it violated the business owners' Christian beliefs.

Earlier, Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield had been sued by the state Department of Fair Housing and Employment, claiming that owner Cathy Miller intentionally discriminated against the couple, in violation of California's Unruh Civil Rights Act.

However, Miller claimed that her right to free speech and free expression of religion took priority over the argument that she violated the anti-discrimination law.

In his ruling, Kern County Superior Court Judge Eric Bradshaw said that Miller acted lawfully, while upholding her beliefs about what the Bible teaches regarding marriage.

"I'm hoping that in our community we can grow together," Miller told the Bakersfield Californian after the ruling. "And we should understand that we shouldn't push any agenda against anyone else."

The couple, Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio, said they expect an appeal will be filed.

Courts are now taking up a similar case in Colorado, where a Colorado baker is challenging a ruling that he violated that state's anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.