MASTERPIECE CAKESHOP, INC. v. SCARDINA

Supreme Court Case No. 23SC116.

556 P.3d 1238 (2024)

2024 CO 67

MASTERPIECE CAKESHOP, INC. and Jack Phillips, Petitioners, v. Autumn SCARDINA, Respondent.

Supreme Court of Colorado.

October 8, 2024.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Attorneys for Petitioners: James A. Campbell, Jonathan A. Scruggs, Jacob P. Warner, Scottsdale, Arizona, John J. Bursch, Washington, District of Columbia, Samuel M. Ventola, Denver, Colorado.

Attorneys for Respondent: Fennemore Craig, P.C., John M. McHugh, Denver, Colorado, Greisen Medlock, LLC, Paula Greisen, Scott Medlock, Denver, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Aaron and Melissa Klein: Jeffrey C. Mateer, David J. Hacker, Kassandra L. Dulin, Plano, Texas, Kniffin Law PLLC, Eric Kniffin, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Attorneys for Amici Curiae American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado: Timothy R. Macdonald, Sara R. Neel, Anna I. Kurtz, Laura Moraff, Denver, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, Interfaith Alliance, Methodist Federation for Social Action, National Council of Jewish Women, and Sikh Coalition: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, Matthew J. Douglas, Denver, Colorado, Alex J. Luchenitser, Kalli A. Joslin, Washington, District of Columbia

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae CatholicVote.org Education Fund: Illumine Legal LLC, J. Brad Bergford, Denver, Colorado, Scott W. Gaylord, Greensboro, North Carolina

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae Colorado Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Chamber of Commerce: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, Craig M. Finger, Amalia Y. Sax-Bolder, Lance T. Collins, Denver, Colorado, Mary L. Bonauto, Boston, Massachusetts.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Colorado LGBTQ+ Bar Association, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, Colorado Women's Bar Association, and Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado: Holland & Hart LLP, Tina R. Van Bockern, Thomas A. Morales, Utsarga Bhattarai, Elizabeth H. Titus, Denver, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Colorado State Legislators of the 74th General Assembly Representatives Stephanie Vigil, Lorena Garcia, Leslie Herod, Jennifer Parenti, Elizabeth Velasco, Brianna Titone, Chad Clifford, and David Ortiz: Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, Tess Hand-Bender, Kristin L. Arthur, Denver, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Colorado State Legislators of the 74th General Assembly Senators Mark Baisley and Kevin Van Winkle and Representatives Brandi Bradley, Scott Bottoms, Ken DeGraaf, and Stephanie Luck: Arrington Law Office, Barry K. Arrington, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae Cyndol Haller: S|L Law PLLC, John C. Sullivan, Cedar Hill, Texas, Nussbaum Gleason PLLC, Andrew Nussbaum, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Attorneys for Amici Curiae First Amendment, Constitutional, and Antidiscrimination Law Scholars Scott Skinner-Thompson, Carlos A. Ball, Erwin Chemerinsky, Alan K. Chen, G.S. Hans, Woodrow Hartzog, Jennifer Hendricks, Thomas Kadri, Suzette Malveaux, Toni Massaro, Catherine Smith, Douglas Spencer, Kyle C. Velte, Ari Ezra Waldman, and Lucy Williams: Hutchinson Black and Cook, LLC, Matthew A. Simonsen, Kimberly M. Hult, Boulder, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae First Amendment Scholars George W. Dent, Jr.; David K. DeWolf; Bruce P. Frohnen; Brett G. Scharffs; and Steven D. Smith: Illumine Legal LLC, Devin C. Daines, Denver, Colorado, William C. Duncan, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, Coalition for Jewish Values, Summit Ministries, The Colson Center for Christian Worldview, American Muslim & Multifaith Women's Empowerment Council, and World Hazara Council USA: Covenant Law PLLC, Ian Speir, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Howard Slugh, Washington, District of Columbia.

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. Karen L. Loewy, Washington, District of Columbia, Sonja D. Kerr, Dallas, Texas, Pelecanos, Los Angeles, California.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Mountain States Legal Foundation, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Southeastern Legal Foundation, and Manhattan Institute: James Kerwin, William E. Trachman, Lakewood, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae National Religious Broadcasters and Foundation for Moral Law: Brown Dunning Walker Fein Drusch PC, David C. Walker, Greenwood Village, Colorado, Michael P. Farris, Washington, District of Columbia.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae States of Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia: Nicholas J. Bronni, Dylan L. Jacobs, Michael A. Cantrell, Little Rock, Arkansas, Nicole C. Hunt, Lakewood, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amici Curiae States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington: Adam M. Cambier, Boston, Massachusetts, Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC, Eric Olson, Denver, Colorado

Attorneys for Amici Curiae Tastries Bakery and Catharine Miller: Messall Law Firm, LLC, Rebecca R. Messall, Englewood, Colorado.

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn: Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, J. Michael Connolly, Arlington, Telios Law PLLC, Joseph B. Brown, Theresa Sidebotham, Monument, Colorado

JUSTICE HART delivered the Opinion of the Court, in which CHIEF JUSTICE MÁRQUEZ, JUSTICE BOATRIGHT, and JUSTICE SAMOUR joined.


¶1 The underlying constitutional question this case raises has become the focus of intense public debate: How should governments balance the rights of transgender individuals to be free from discrimination in places of public accommodation with the rights of religious business owners when they...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases