The Line Between Free Speech and Anti-Discrimination

Jack Phillips, a cakemaker, and Lorie Smith, a graphic designer, want to use their artistry to create products and services that align with their faith, protected under the First Amendment. However, Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act compels companies to act against their beliefs and silences businesses from voicing their belief statements.

After winning his first court case, Phillips continues to face targeted attacks by people trying to force him to act in ways that violate his beliefs. Phillips’s lawyers argue that the issue is not who he serves but what they ask him to do. They say the line is not hard to draw and that the government should not force anyone to say or speak a message they disagree with. Phillips hopes that the courts will also draw that line to protect himself and others in the future.