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5 Things You Need to Know About the Supreme Court Ruling in the Gay Wedding Cake Case

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The U.S. Supreme Court Monday morning handed down a ruling in the case brought by a Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, citing his Christian beliefs.

Many initial reactions from pro- and anti-gay observers and groups have been wide ranging, and many have been wrong. (Perhaps most of all, Donald Trump Jr.)

Here are five of the most important things you need to know about the Supreme Court’s ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd., et al. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission et al:

1. The ruling does not allow discrimination against same-sex couples, LGBT people, or anyone else. It changes no laws and sets no precedents.

2. The ruling applies to one person only: Jack Phillips, the anti-gay Christian baker. Again, it does not set precedent, it cannot be used by others to discriminate against anyone. Period.

3. The only “person” the ruling is against is the Colorado commission that ruled against the baker – and not because of the commission’s overall conclusion, that Phillips engaged in unlawful discrimination. The Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling says that the commission acted with “hostility,” in this one case, against Phillips.

4. The Court’s ruling calls for Americans to find a way to be tolerant towards each other, respecting the rights of gay people and the rights of people of faith. (It does not state those are two opposing groups.)

5. If anything, the Supreme Court’s ruling is in part a win for the LGBT community and supporters of equality. Here’s the key passage from the Court’s majority opinion: “these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market.”

You will no doubt see huge proclamations of victory from the anti-gay right. If they say anything other than what’s above, chances are good they’re false.

For more, read: “SUPREME COURT HANDS DOWN ANTI-GAY RULING – FOR ONE WEDDING CAKE BAKER.”

Image by Phil Roeder via Flickr and a CC license

 

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JUST THE FACTS

Bernie Sanders Says ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Would Strip Health Insurance From 16 Million People

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2 months ago

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June 25, 2025

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The office of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released a new report showing that President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” would have devastating effects on the number of uninsured Americans over the next 10 years.

Sanders announced the report Wednesday in a Senate hearing about Trump’s budget proposal passed by the House. In a clip posted to his official Bluesky account, Sanders called out the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and its chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), for not commissioning a report itself.

We must not throw 16 million low-income and working class Americans off of the health care they have in order to give massive tax breaks to billionaires.That is obscene.

— Senator Bernie Sanders (@sanders.senate.gov) 2025-06-25T16:56:03.776Z

“Since this committee has refused to bring health care providers before us, I am releasing today a report on the impact that this legislation would have on our nation’s health care system. Committee didn’t do it. We did it. And I did that by reaching out to health care providers all across this country. And let me thank the over 750 health care providers from 47 states, probably every state represented here, who responded to our request,” Sanders said.

READ MORE: ‘Pushed Up to the Edge of the Cliff’: GOP Proposals Would Kick Millions Off Health Care

The Big Beautiful Bill includes a cut to Medicaid spending of $793 billion across 10 years. Medicaid currently costs the U.S. government about $606 billion per year, which covers 69% of its total funding. The additional 31%, $274 billion, comes from individual states, according to health policy organization KFF. These cuts could result in the deaths of as many as 24,600 people per year, according to an analysis published by the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Sanders’ report breaks out the rate of uninsured people across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, between 2023 and 2034. While every state has an increase of at least 20%, the average increase is 65%. Three states—New York, Washington and Massachusetts—will more than double the amount of uninsured people, while the District of Columbia’s number of uninsured will go up by a staggering 229%.

The report also includes quotes from health care providers talking about how the Big Beautiful Bill would affect them.

“If Medicaid is cut, my patients will die. I realize I am being dramatic. It is a dramatic situation.” Dr. Helen Pope of Louisiana told Sanders’ office. “They are humans who are doing their best. Please don’t allow them to suffer more.”

“The provisions would ultimately make healthcare more expensive and less accessible while paradoxically making Medicaid unsustainable. When patients lose access to preventive care, they rely on emergency services and dangerous self-treatment, both driving up costs for everyone. Medicaid allows us to treat and prevent disabling conditions like diabetes and hypertension—without it, these become irreversible.” Dr. Nikhil Kurapati of Ohio said.

“These cuts will cause rural hospitals in Texas to close entirely. As a neurologist, I am terrified that the closest hospital for many rural folks may then be hours away. During an ischemic stroke, there is only 3 hours of precious time . . . the increased travel time may cause unnecessary cases of paralysis and death.” Dr. Audrey Nath of Texas told the senator’s office.

Trump has tried to cut Medicaid before, failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act during his first term. Despite Trump’s efforts, government-assisted health care is still widely popular, with 57% of Americans saying the government should ensure health care, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. Health care in the U.S. ranks last out of 11 high income countries, according to a 2021 study by the Commonwealth Fund.

Image via Shutterstock

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JUST THE FACTS

‘Here Are the Facts’: Pete Williams Destroys Trump’s Claim–Says Only States, Not the Feds, Can Open or Close Businesses

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5 years ago

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April 13, 2020

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NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams has some news for President Donald Trump: You’re wrong.

Williams is a consummate professional who for 27 years has consistently without bias reported the major stories on his critical beat: the Supreme Court, the DOJ, and DHS. He has won three Emmy awards.

On Monday Williams responded to tweets President Trump posted, falsely claiming that he alone has the power to open or close the nation’s economy, and that he would do so shortly.

The President is wrong, as Williams notes.

“For the purpose of eliminating confusion, here are the facts,” Williams says, almost mocking Trump. according to NBC News correspondent Ken Dilanian. “The authority to require businesses to close in a public health crisis is what is known as a ‘police power,’ and it is reserved by the Constitution to the states, not to the federal government.”

 

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JUST THE FACTS

Fox News Refutes Trump’s Claim He Has No ‘Financial Interests’ in Saudi Arabia

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7 years ago

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October 16, 2018

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When You’ve Lost Fox News…

Fox News is pushing back against part of President Donald Trump’s tweet storm late Tuesday morning, during which he claimed, among other things, that he has no business in Saudi Arabia.

The operative word here is “in,” perhaps, but the larger picture is that Trump very much has financial interests in Saudi Arabia, or at least, with Saudi Arabia.

Fox News Research, a verified Twitter account belonging to the conservative cable TV news network, made clear that the President has tremendous financial interests in Saudi Arabia. That country is under international scrutiny after what appears to be the state-sanctioned murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Here’s what Fox News Research dug up:

Hows’s that for “no financial interests in Saudi Arabia”?

CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski offers this video of Trump bragging about his financial relationship with Saudi Arabia.

“They pay me millions and hundreds of millions.”

 

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