Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton is backing embattled Christian baker Jack Phillips, who is currently up against his third major lawsuit in Colorado, a news release revealed.
Phillips was sued for refusing to make a cake requested by male-to-female transgender attorney Autumn Scardina, with the Colorado Court of Appeals ruling earlier this year against Phillips.
The court concluded that "creating a pink cake with blue frosting is not inherently expressive, and any message or symbolism it provides to an observer would not be attributed to the baker."
In addition, the court rejected Phillips' procedural arguments and ruled that it is illegal to refuse to provide services to people based on characteristics including race, religion, or sexual orientation.
But 21 state prosecutors across the country, led by Arkansas GOP Attorney General Tim Griffin, are now coming to Phillips' defense as he challenges that decision in the Colorado Supreme Court.
Phillips was previously targeted in 2012 for refusing to bake a custom wedding cake for a homosexual couple, with the U.S. Supreme Court finding that Colorado acted with hostility to his Christian faith.
Scardina then sued Phillips again, first going to the state of Colorado, which eventually dismissed the lawsuit. However, months later, she filed the current civil suit against Phillips.
"I am profoundly disheartened by the targeted harassment experienced by baker Jack Phillips on the basis of his religion," Paxton stated. "His victimization is emblematic of a growing, un-American attempt to impose ideological conformity on our citizens."
"The Constitution protects us from coerced speech and expression," he continued. "Courts deciding otherwise risk plunging our nation into totalitarianism."
The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group, has backed Phillips and is raising money for donations on his client profile.
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