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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 4 OctOber 2023

Colorado high court to hear case against Christian baker who

refused to make LGBTQ-themed cake

By Colleen Slevin and Jesse would serve LGBTQ+ cus-
Bedayn tomers. Her attorney said
Associated Press her cake order was not a
DENVER (AP) — On the “set up” intended to file a
heels of a U.S. Supreme lawsuit.
Court victory this summer The Colorado Supreme
for a graphic artist who Court didn’t explain how
didn’t want to design wed- or why it made the deter-
ding websites for same-sex mination to hear the case.
couples, Colorado’s high- It was announced in a
est court said Tuesday it long list of decisions about
will now hear the case of which cases they will hear
a Christian baker who re- and reject.
fused to make a cake cele- The case involves the
brating a gender transition. state’s anti-discrimination
The announcement by the law that makes it illegal to
Colorado Supreme Court is refuse to provide services
the latest development in to people based on pro-
the yearslong legal saga tected characteristics like
involving Jack Phillips and race, religion or sexual ori-
LGBTQ+ rights. entation.
Phillips won a partial victory The key issue in the case
before the U.S. Supreme is whether the cakes Phil-
Court in 2018 after refusing Jack Phillips, who's case was heard by the Supreme Court several years ago after he objected lips creates are a form of
to make a gay couple’s to designing a wedding cake for a gay couple, speaks to supporters outside the Supreme Court, speech and whether forc-
Dec. 5, 2022, in Washington.
wedding cake. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) ing him to make a cake
He was later sued by Au- with a message he does
tumn Scardina, a transgen- bakery refused to make a celebrate her gender tran- she brought the lawsuit to not support is a violation of
der woman, after Phillips pink cake with blue frost- sition. “challenge the veracity” of his First Amendment right to
and his suburban Denver ing for her birthday and to Scardina, an attorney, said Phillips' statements that he free speech.q

New York judge issues limited gag order after Trump sends

disparaging post about court clerk

By Michael R. Sisak, Bobby Judge Arthur Engoron told tifying post about a mem- As for Schumer, a spokes- claims in this case. Trump’s
Caina Calvan and Jennifer all participants in the case ber of my staff." person called the post “pa- legal team has argued that
Peltz not to smear court person- A few hours earlier, Trump thetic” and said the sena- the time limit cuts off most
Associated Press nel, warning of “serious had posted a photo of En- tor doesn't know Greenfield of the claims.
NEW YORK (AP) — Rebuk- sanctions” if they do. goron’s principal law clerk, and is in photos with thou- But Engoron ruled last week
ing Donald Trump, a state “Personal attacks on mem- Allison Greenfield, posing sands of constituents. that all the claims were al-
court judge imposed a lim- bers of my court staff are with Senate Majority Lead- Aside from that sideshow, lowable under the statute
ited gag order Tuesday in unacceptable, not appro- er Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., James’ attorney ques- of limitations, and he made
the former president’s civil priate, and I will not toler- at a public event. Trump, tioned an accountant clear Tuesday that the trial
business fraud trial and or- ate them,” Engoron said af- the Republican front-runner Tuesday in an effort to build isn’t “an opportunity to re-
dered him to delete a so- ter complaining — without for president in 2024, has the state’s case that Trump litigate what I have already
cial media post that pub- naming names — about a repeatedly cast the trial as and others at his company decided.” He said that at
licly maligned a key court defendant's ”disparaging, a political attack by New had full control over the the trial’s early stage, he’s
staffer. untrue and personally iden- York’s Democratic attorney preparation of misleading inclined to give both sides
general, Letitia James. and false financial state- considerable leeway to
Trump wrote on his Truth ments at the heart of their connect older evidence to
Social platform that it was case. claims in the lawsuit.
“disgraceful” that Green- The state's lawsuit alleges He and lawyers have said
field was working with the that Trump and his business his financial statements
judge in the courtroom, chronically lied about his were legitimate repre-
adding to complaints he'd wealth on financial state- sentations of the worth of
made outside court Mon- ments given to banks, insur- unique luxury properties,
day. The post apparently ers and others. made even more valuable
sparked a series of closed- Also Tuesday, Engoron set because of their associa-
door courtroom discus- the record straight about tion with him. The defense
sions, involving Trump and a comment that the ex- also emphasizes that the
lawyers for both sides, dur- president had touted as an financial statements bore
ing what's usually a lunch important victory. disclaimers saying that they
break. By the time the gag The judge had suggested weren’t audited and that
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a order was issued, Trump on Monday that testimony others “might reach dif-
break in his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, had deleted the post — as about Trump’s 2011 finan- ferent conclusions” about
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in New York. Engoron ordered, accord- cial statement might be his financial position if they
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) ing to the judge. beyond a 2014 time limit for had more information. q