U.S. top court rules for church in free speech case over signs [Unanimous]

Reuters ^ | 6/18/15 | Lawrence Hurley

[SoFloFreeper]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that an Arizona town violated a local church's free speech rights by preventing it from posting signs notifying the public of its worship services.

The court decided 9-0 in favor of Good News Community Church....

....."Speech discrimination is wrong regardless of whether the government intended to violate the First Amendment or not, and it doesn't matter if the government thinks its discrimination was well-intended," said attorney David Cortman of the Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the church.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

It's never gonna happen, but a lot of this nonsense would go away if we would get rid of the Public Accommodations Act.

Racists would deny Black people products or services and they would be boycotted out of business.

Gays would demand wedding cakes from Christian bakers and their cries would be drowned out by the crickets.

[IronJack]

If you're a baker and you want to stay in business and not bake that cake, then you would somehow have to get the Supremes to declare that the baking of a cake was a form of speech.

Only if you want to argue a Freedom of Speech First Amendment defense. You could also frame it as a Freedom of Religion case and leave the speech qualification out entirely. Or you could argue for Free Association, or Involuntary Servitude, all of which sidestep the Free Speech issue.

[Lurking Libertarian]

It's never gonna happen, but a lot of this nonsense would go away if we would get rid of the Public Accommodations Act.

The federal Public Accommodations Act does not protect homosexuals, and only a minority of states have Public Accommodations Laws that protect homosexuals. That is why there have only been a handful of cases involving bakers or florists and gay weddings.

[goat granny]

I have seen cakes that would and do fall under the idea of art. Some are just mind boggling. Its almost a shame to cut them up and consume them...

[BuckeyeTexan]

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[NonValueAdded]

9th circus reversed again.