Mischaracterizing the Supreme Court’s decisions can be dangerous. For example, after the court upheld an Indiana voter identification law, conservatives claimed that any voter identification law was acceptable. Numerous states then passed voter identification laws that were successfully challenged in court.
The Court’s 2018 decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission was specific to its facts. It does not have the broader significance that some are claiming – business owners do not have a constitutional right to turn away a gay customer, or any other customer, because serving the customer would conflict with the religious beliefs of the owner.
– Jon Greenbaum, Chief Counsel, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law