When Jack Phillips, the owner of a Colorado cake shop who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, was handed a victory by the Supreme Court last year, he thought his legal drama, which began in 2012, was finally coming to an end. His victory was short-lived because he found himself in trouble again with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission after he refused to bake a cake for a transgender lawyer celebrating her transition.
Phillips responded to the complaint by filing a federal lawsuit against the state claiming that officials were waging a "crusade" against him following the Supreme Court ruling which blasted how the government treated Phillips.
On Tuesday (March 5), both sides came to an agreement and decided to put an end to the ongoing litigation.
“After careful consideration of the facts, both sides agreed it was not in anyone’s best interest to move forward with these cases," Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “The larger constitutional issues might well be decided down the road, but these cases will not be the vehicle for resolving them. Equal justice for all will continue to be a core value that we will uphold as we enforce our state’s and nation’s civil rights laws.”
Weiser pointed out the state's decision to drop the case against Phillips does not prevent Autumn Scardina, the lawyer who filed the original complaint, from taking legal action of her own.
Photo: Getty Images