{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://perlmutter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1865", "Colorado Lawmakers File Amicus Brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case", "2017-11-03", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Ed Perlmutter", "P000593", "perlmutter.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, along with Colorado U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette, Ed Perlmutter, and Jared Polis, are among 211 Members of Congress who this week filed an Amicus Brief in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which will be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on December 5.\r\nThe brief is in support of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which enforces the state\u2019s anti-discrimination statute providing civil rights protections for historically marginalized groups, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. A ruling against the Commission could create a \u201clicense to discriminate,\u201d allowing businesses to deny service to Americans, including LGBTQ people.\r\n\u201cIn signing this brief, we are sending a clear signal that every American \u2013 regardless of race, color, sexual orientation, or gender \u2013 should be guaranteed freedom from discrimination in all aspects of their lives,\u201d Bennet said. \u00a0\u201cWe are hopeful that the Supreme Court will affirm this principle and set an important anti-discrimination precedent.\u201d\r\n\u201cI\u2019m honored to join 210 of my House and Senate colleagues in signing this brief, which helps ensure that businesses in Colorado and across America are open to all,\u201d DeGette said. \u201cLGBTQ Americans deserve the full protection of the law; this case is about that, and more. Our brief affirms freedom from discrimination for all people in our society. This case isn\u2019t about wedding cakes, just as it wasn\u2019t about water fountains half a century ago.\u201d\r\n\u201cIf a business is open to the public, it should be open to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or who they love,\u201d Perlmutter said. \u201cEvery American has the right to be treated fairly and equally, and should have the freedom to live the life they want. I\u2019m proud to sign on to this amicus brief and support other legislation to ensure equal rights for all Americans.\u201d\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s a basic principle: discrimination of any kind is wrong in a public accommodation,\u201d Polis said. \u201cWe must not chip away at anti-discrimination protections under law.\u00a0 The liberty of all Americans, not just LGBTQ Americans, is at stake.\u201d\r\nIn 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins were denied a wedding cake by Masterpiece Cakeshop because of their sexual orientation. The shop\u2019s owner, Jack Phillips, cited religious objections to same-sex marriage as a justification for his refusal. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled that the shop could not lawfully deny services to individuals based on their sexual orientation under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and required the shop to provide staff training and issue reports on steps taken to come into compliance with the ruling. Masterpiece Cakeshop appealed the ruling, which was eventually upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. The shop appealed the decision, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 5th.\u00a0 If the court finds that a business owner\u2019s religious conviction or expressive intent trumps civil rights laws, it could undermine local, state, and federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in accessing public accommodations.\r\nIn the friend-of-the-court brief, 36 Senators and 175 House members urged the Supreme Court to affirm the Colorado Civil Rights Commission\u2019s initial decision to require Masterpiece Cakeshop to comply with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. The brief considers the history of federal nondiscrimination laws, such as Title II of the Civil Rights Act and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and how rulings regarding those statutes apply to the pending case. Signers warned that the outcome of the case could have broad implications for the civil rights of groups that already face discrimination and that creating exemptions to public accommodations laws \u2013 in this case based on a business\u2019 arguably expressive conduct or religious belief \u2013 would undermine the government\u2019s interest in prohibiting discrimination against minority groups.\r\nThe brief is supported by One Colorado, Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD),\u00a0 Lambda Legal, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Employment Law Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Women\u2019s Law Center, People for the American Way Foundation, SAGE, Transgender Law Center, Equality California, Equality Delaware, Equality Florida, Equality New Mexico, Equality North Carolina, and Garden State Equality.\r\nA full version of the brief is available HERE.\r\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://perlmutter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1865"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1211270466446877, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}