Email This The U.S. Supreme Court ordered reconsideration of a $135,000 award against an Oregon bakery that refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding in a case that revived a fractious debate over religious rights and equal treatment. After more than three months of deliberation, the justices Monday set aside the award and told an Oregon state appeals court to revisit the case in light of a 2018 Supreme Court ruling in a similar fight from Colorado. The Supreme Court resolved that case narrowly — and avoided the core constitutional questions — by saying Colorado officials had shown animus toward the baker’s religious views. The latest case involves “Sweetcakes by Melissa,” a now-closed Portland-area bakery owned by Melissa and Aaron Klein. The Kleins, who are Christian, cited religious grounds when they refused to provide a cake for Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer in 2013. The Bowman-Cryers filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, the state’s civil rights watchdog, which found the bakers in violation of a state anti-discrimination law and awarded the two women $135,000. An Oregon state appeals court upheld the award. The Kleins say the state violated their speech and religious freedoms. […]
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