WEDDING CAKE DISCRIMINATION
Court: Baker who refused gay wedding cake can’t cite beliefs
DENVER (AP) — An appeals court ruling against a Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple will be appealed to Colorado’s Supreme Court.
The state’s Court of Appeals ruled that since Jack Phillips’ bakery is open to the public, he can’t pick and choose customers based on their sexual orientation.
Phillips has maintained that he has no problem serving gay people, but that making a cake celebrating a gay wedding would violate his religious views. His attorney, Nicolle Martin, says Phillips won’t make Halloween treats either because of his Christian faith.
Martin says Phillips now faces fines for denying wedding cakes to gay couples, so he has stopped making all wedding cakes, even though they were 40 percent of his business.
But Rabbi Jack Moline, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance, praised the appeals court ruling against Phillips as “another step toward guaranteeing religious freedom for all Americans, not just for a subset of Americans.”
Sound:
271-w-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips)–An appeals court ruling against a Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple will be appealed to Colorado’s highest court. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (13 Aug 2015)
< 262-a-03-(Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, in AP interview)-“Colorado Supreme Court”-Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, says the case isn’t over. (13 Aug 2015) < 260-a-07-(Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, in AP interview)-“him to create”-Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, says he doesn’t discrimate against gays. (13 Aug 2015) < 259-a-06-(Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, in AP interview)-“serve all messages”-Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, says he doesn’t make Halloween treats either. (13 Aug 2015) < 261-a-03-(Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, in AP interview)-“cakes, for anyone”-Nicolle Martin, attorney for baker Jack Phillips, says he has given up a lucrative part of his business. (13 Aug 2015) < 240-a-12-(Rabbi Jack Moline (moh-LEEN’), executive director, Interfaith Alliance, in AP interview)-“subset of Americans”-Rabbi Jack Moline, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance, says he’s glad a Colorado court rejected a baker’s religious defense for refusing to bake a cake celebrating a gay wedding. (13 Aug 2015) < 241-a-10-(Rabbi Jack Moline (moh-LEEN’), executive director, Interfaith Alliance, in AP interview)-“the law demands”-Rabbi Jack Moline, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance, says the Christian baker isn’t being denied his constitutional free exercise of religion. (13 Aug 2015) < GAY MARRIAGE-KENTUCKY The Latest: Gay couple drives an hour to try to get married MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — An attorney for a county clerk in Kentucky says a judge telling her to issue gay marriage licenses is the same as ordering a nurse who has religious objections to perform an abortion or telling someone opposed to war to fire on an enemy soldier. U.S. District Judge David Bunning ruled Wednesday that deeply held Christian beliefs about marriage don’t excuse officials from following the law. Jonathan Christman, who represents Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, asked Bunning to stay his order Thursday to give Davis time to appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He said if Davis were forced to issue licenses to same-sex couples, a remedy would be something no “earthly court can provide to rectify.” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has told the clerk to issue licenses or resign. Sound: 275-w-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with David Ermold, same-sex marriage applicant, and Rowan County resident Scott Frazier)–A Kentucky county clerk’s refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples has divided local residents. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (13 Aug 2015) < 229-a-07-(Scott Frazier, Rowan County resident who opposes gay marriage, in AP interview)-“upon the deal”-Scott Frazier, a Rowan County resident who opposes gay marriage, says federal judges shouldn’t be redefining marriage. (13 Aug 2015) < 228-a-07-(David Ermold, who was denied a marriage license with his male partner, in AP interview)-“all the states”-David Ermold, who was denied a marriage license with his male partner, says they’ve been a couple for 17 years. (13 Aug 2015) < 230-a-11-(Scott Frazier, Rowan County resident who opposes gay marriage, in AP interview)-“of his hands”-Scott Frazier, a Rowan County resident who opposes gay marriage, says County Clerk Kim Davis is upholding her oath to God. (13 Aug 2015) < 227-a-03-(David Ermold, who was denied a marriage license with his male partner, in AP interview)-“this to us”-David Ermold, who was denied a marriage license with his male partner, says Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has no right to refuse them. (13 Aug 2015) < 231-a-07-(Scott Frazier, Rowan County resident who opposes gay marriage, in AP interview)-“it off everything”-Scott Frazier, a Rowan County resident who opposes gay marriage, says federal judges shouldn’t force officials to violate their religious beliefs. (13 Aug 2015) < UNITED STATES-CHINA-HUMAN RIGHTS US presses China on human rights ahead of leaders’ summit WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States says it is pressing China to improve its deteriorating human rights record ahead of the September state visit to Washington by President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng). The U.S. made the call at a human rights dialogue Thursday with Chinese officials. Topping the list of U.S. concerns is a crackdown on lawyers and proposed legislation to police non-government organizations. The U.S. also raised concerns over curbs on religious freedom in Tibet and the far western region of Xinjiang and a government campaign to remove crosses and demolish Christian churches in Zhejiang province. 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ILLINOIS-VACCINE EXEMPTION Parents refusing vaccines for kids need doctor’s signature SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Parents in Illinois citing religious objections in refusing to have their children immunized will have to get a doctor’s signature confirming they’ve been informed of the risks. A bill signed into law this month requires parents of children entering kindergarten and grades six and nine to provide a Certificates of Religious Exemption with a health care provider’s signature if they opt out of vaccine requirements. Supporters hope it will reduce the number of religious exemptions, which have more than doubled since 2009, reaching more than 13,000 for the 2013-2014 school year. Lawmakers backing the bill were also worried by a recent measles outbreak in suburban Chicago linked to a child-care center. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah said in a statement Wednesday that vaccines protect entire communities. SCHOOL BOARD CLASH Ex-NYC schools chancellor named monitor of suburban district SUFFERN, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott has been appointed to monitor a suburban school district where there’s a dispute over control between the board, which is dominated by Orthodox Jews who don’t use the public schools, and parents of pupils, who mainly are black or Hispanic. State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia (EE’-lee-uh) named Walcott on Thursday to oversee the East Ramapo district in Rockland County. East Ramapo has 9,000 children in its public schools but 24,000 in private schools, almost all of them Jewish yeshivas (yeh-SHEE’-vuhz). The Orthodox are not a majority of eligible voters, but they have become a powerful voting bloc in school board elections. Many parents have complained that the board shortchanges the public schools while supporting the yeshivas. The board blames state funding. FRANCE-PORK AT SCHOOL Bid to keep pork substitutes on French school menus rebuffed PARIS (AP) — A leader of France’s top Muslim organization is criticizing a court decision that could jeopardize a decades-old policy in which public schools can offer substitutes to pork when the meat turns up on lunch menus. Abdullah Zekri of the French Council of the Muslim Faith said Thursday he is worried that the ruling a day earlier in eastern Dijon could sow discord in France. A legal defense team for Muslims had sought to block a mayor’s order to pull pork substitutes from school menus. Such substitutes are offered across France. Zekri called the mayor’s order a “provocation” that could pit students against one another.
