Masterpiece cake shop in colorado refused to make a wedding cake for samesex couples on religious grounds. The court will hear the case tomorrow. The Cato Institute hosted this debate. Good afternoon. Welcome to the Cato Institute. I am the Vice President for legal affairs, founding director of the center for constitutional studies and your host for this afternoons debate. I want to welcome those that are joining us on cspan and through the lifestream. We are here to consider whether religious liberty can coexist with antidiscrimination law. We will hear oral arguments tomorrow when it hears the case of the Masterpiece Cake shop the colorado Civil Rights Commission. The case arose when Charlie Cragg couple walked into the cake shop in colorado owned and operated by Jack Phillips a devout christian as with all of his customers and phillips had no problem selling anything off the shelf but he declined to make a custommade cake to celebrate the couples wedding citing his religious convict
Would like to purchase it for the celebration of our marriage. The colorado law would prohibit that but you claim that you are entitled to an exception . Absolutely not. The compelled speech doctrine is triggered by compelled speech and in the context of a premade cake, that is not compelled speech. Mr. Phillips is happy to sell anything in his store. Didnt he express himself when he made it . Yes. He did express himself when he made it. The purpose for which he expressed it is important to the compelled speech doctrine and how it applies. Can i get the answer . If you agree, why can he not refuse to sell the cake in the window according to the hypothetical . It has already been placed in the stream of commerce. His speech has been completed. He intended to speak through the cake with the purpose of whatever it was when he created it. When he has a different purpose and is expressing a message through the cake, it would render a different result. Didnt he refused to sell cupcakes that
[applause] good afternoon welcome and they give you for joining us today on the topic of critical importance. I am president of the United States institute of peace with the critical moment to this serious conflict to threaten not of the regional political will security with the arrival of refugees in europe that there is 60 Million People displaced by conflict and 12 million are syrian. And estimates suggest what quarter have been killed in the civil war today. One of the pressing tragedies of our time United States has been the leading donor of humanitarian assistance over the last five years by growing more bloody and complex by the day the Global Community mr. Jett they Work Together to provide desperately needed civilian production to achieve a meaningful and lasting pay peace with the community and the commitment we read never again turn a blind eye let that systematic violence of human suffering come forward so i am honored to welcome to the u. S. Institute of peace they committ