DENVER (AP) " A Colorado baker's insistence that his religious beliefs justified his refusal to make a wedding cake for a gay couple created trouble for the state's civil rights commission long before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it had made a mistake.
The high court on Monday found that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission failed to adequately consider Jack Phillips' religious beliefs when it ruled against him for refusing to make the cake at his Masterpiece Cakeshop.
Without explicitly citing the case, Republicans later sought more pro-business seats on the commission when it came up for reauthorization during the 2018 legislative session.
In the end, lawmakers changed the composition of the seven-member commission to add a business representative and, among other things, ensure no political party has an advantage on the panel.
Senate President Kevin Grantham said the Supreme Court decision opens the door to follow-up reforms. But a fellow Republican notes that November's elections also will play a major role in its fate.