A California baker, Cathy Miller, has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her First Amendment case arguing that the state violated her religious beliefs by forcing her to create cakes for same-sex marriages. Miller, a Christian baker from Bakersfield, initially won her case at the state superior court level in 2022 but was later overturned by a state appeals court. After the California Supreme Court declined to review her case, she turned to the U.S. Supreme Court for relief.<\/p>\n

Her case challenges the application of the 1990 Supreme Court ruling in *Employment Division v. Smith*, which allows states to enforce neutral laws even if they incidentally burden religious practices<\/a>.Miller’s legal team seeks to overturn or modify this precedent, arguing it has been improperly applied to suppress religious objections, especially in cases related to same-sex wedding ceremonies.<\/p>\n

The petition cites previous Supreme Court rulings like *303 Creative LLC v. Elenis* and *Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado civil Rights Commission*, where the court protected religious freedom claims involving creative expression. A coalition of 16 states, led by Texas, has supported Miller’s case, urging the Court to further clarify and strengthen religious free speech protections.<\/p>\n

The Becket fund for Religious Liberty represents Miller and emphasizes broad backing from diverse groups, calling California’s actions “unjust and un-American.” The Supreme Court is expected to decide in the coming months whether to take the case, possibly impacting religious liberty jurisprudence related to services for same-sex marriages.

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