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A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 4 deceMber 2017

Some see echoes of ‘68 court case in wedding cake dispute

that followed, Piggie Park yers are pointing the Su-
owner Maurice Bessinger preme Court to Bessinger’s
justified the refusal to serve case in support of Charlie
black customers based on Craig and David Mullins,
his religious belief oppos- the gay couple who were
ing “any integration of the turned away by Colorado
races whatsoever.” baker Jack Phillips, giving
Federal judges had little rise to the high court case
trouble dismissing Bessing- that will be argued Tues-
er’s claim. day.
“Undoubtedly defendant “The logic of Piggie Park
Bessinger has a constitu- and other precedents
tional right to espouse the overwhelmingly rejecting
religious beliefs of his own religious justifications for
choosing, however, he racial discrimination apply
does not have the abso- squarely to the context of
lute right to exercise and LGBTQ discrimination,” the
practice such beliefs in ut- NAACP Legal Defense and
ter disregard of the clear Educational Fund said in a
constitutional rights of Supreme Court brief. The
other citizens,” U.S. District fund also represented the
Judge Charles Earl Simons people who sued Piggie
Jr. wrote in 1966. Park. Both cases involve
By the time the Supreme laws intended to prevent
Court heard the case in discrimination by private
1968, the issue was the businesses that open their
Charlie Craig and David Mullins are shown in their home in Denver. The Dec. 5, Supreme Court award of fees to the law- doors to the public. In the
argument about a baker who refused to make a cake for the same-sex couple makes some civil
rights lawyers think of South Carolina’s Piggie Park barbecue. yers representing the black case of Piggie Park, the law
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski) South Carolinians who was the Civil Rights Act of
sued Bessinger’s restau- 1964. The bake shop case
By MARK SHERMAN ple makes some civil rights August 1964 in Columbia, rants. But in a footnote to its involves the Colorado Anti-
Associated Press lawyers think of South Car- South Carolina, the wait- unsigned 8-0 opinion, the Discrimination Act, which
WASHINGTON (AP) — The olina’s Piggie Park barbe- ress who came out to serve court called the religious prohibits businesses from
upcoming Supreme Court cue. them turned back once freedom argument and refusing to sell their goods
argument about a baker When two African-Amer- she saw they were black Bessinger’s other defenses to people on the basis of
who refused to make a icans parked their car at and didn’t take their or- “patently frivolous.”Fifty sexual orientation among
cake for a same-sex cou- a Piggie Park drive-in in der.In the civil rights lawsuit years later, civil rights law- other things.q

Republicans proposing revamp of federal student aid programs

WASHINGTON (AP) — by putting caps on how application process. The legislation aims to help students. The legislation
House Republicans are much students and par- The student aid provisions schools better prepare stu- would create a new Fed-
proposing to revamp fed- ents can borrow even as are part of a massive rewrite dents for careers. “There eral loan program for un-
eral student loan programs they call for simplifying the of higher education legisla- are 6 million unfilled jobs in dergraduate students with
tion introduced by Repub- this country, and we need “reasonable annual and
lican Reps. Virginia Foxx of to make sure students and aggregate limits” on bor-
North Carolina, chair of the prospective students have rowing. The goal, the bill
House Committee on Edu- access to the right educa- says, is to ensure “respon-
cation, and Brett Guthrie of tion matching the skills they sible lending.” Repayment
Kentucky, chairman of the need to get those jobs,” would be on a standard
panel’s higher education Guthrie said in a statement. 10-year plan or a single in-
subcommittee.“Unfortuna House Democratic leader come-based option.
tely,today’s chaoticmaze Nancy Pelosi said the mea- Federalwork-study pro-
of federal aid programs, sure “pulls the rug out from grams would be increased,
requirements and red tape borrowers and gives unfet- with partnerships between
has driven up college costs tered access to federal colleges and industry en-
and made pursuing and funding with no account- couraged to “expand
finishing a postsecondary ability.” earn-and-learn opportuni-
education unworkable for She said the end result will ties leading to high-wage,
far too many individuals,” a be making college more high-skill and high-demand
fact sheet on the bill states. expensive for low-income careers”.q