From Newsgroup: rec.food.baking

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) u A California judge has ruled in favor of a
bakery owner who refused to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple
because it violated her Christian beliefs.

The state Department of Fair Housing and Employment had sued Tastries
Bakery in Bakersfield, arguing owner Cathy Miller intentionally
discriminated against the couple in violation of CaliforniaAs Unruh Civil Rights Act.

MillerAs attorneys argued her right to free speech and free expression of religion trumped the argument that she violated the anti-discrimination
law. Kern County Superior Court Judge Eric Bradshaw ruled Friday that
Miller acted lawfully while upholding her beliefs about what the Bible
teaches regarding marriage.

The decision was welcomed as a First Amendment victory by Miller and her pro-bono attorneys with the conservative Thomas More Society.

oIAm hoping that in our community we can grow together,o Miller told the Bakersfield Californian after the ruling. oAnd we should understand that
we shouldnAt push any agenda against anyone else.o

A spokesperson said the fair housing department was aware of the ruling
but had not determined what to do next. The couple, Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio, said they expect an appeal.

oOf course weAre disappointed, but not surprised,o Eileen told the
newspaper. oWe anticipate that our appeal will have a different result.o

An earlier decision in Kern County Superior Court also went MillerAs way,
but it was later vacated by the 5th District Court of Appeal, which sent
the lawsuit back to the county.

The decision comes as a Colorado baker is challenging a ruling he violated that stateAs anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake
celebrating a gender transition. That baker, Jack Phillips, separately won
a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds
to make a gay coupleAs wedding cake a decade ago.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

https://www.kktv.com/2022/10/23/judge-sides-with-california-baker-over- same-sex-wedding-cake/
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