Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska slammed the state of Colorado on Wednesday for infringing upon the First Amendment in order to promulgate a political agenda.
“You don’t get to choose which parts of the First Amendment you like,” Sasse said in a press release. “Using the state to put someone out of business because they don’t share your beliefs is not what we do in America.”
The Nebraska senator released a statement in defense of Jack Phillips, the Christian baker who triumphed at the Supreme Court in June for refusing to bake a custom wedding cake for a gay couple’s marriage ceremony, after he filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Civil Rights Commission for discriminating against him. (RELATED: Colorado Is Going After Jack Phillips Of Masterpiece Cakeshop Again)
The lawsuit alleges that Phillips began to experience harassment based on his religious beliefs following the Supreme Court’s decision to review his case. Phillips consistently received, and turned down, requests for sexually and morally inappropriate cake orders, all of which he believed to be from the same individual who later sued him for discrimination. The commission subsequently decided that there was sufficient evidence for the suit to continue.
“A state powerful enough to tell bakers what to bake is powerful enough to tell journalists what stories to write,” Sasse said. “This is not healthy for the country.”
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